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THE  LIBRARY 
OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


THE    HUDSON    BAY    ROAD 


All  fights  reserved 


THE 

HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

(1498-1915) 


BY 

A.    H.    DE    TREMAUDAN 

OF    THE    MANITOBA   BAR 

(Founder  and  for  two  years  Editor  oj  the  "  Herald  " 
at  the  Pas,  Dec.  19  ii  to  Dec.  191  ^) 


WITH 

30  ILLUSTRATIONS 

AND  2  MAPS 


NEW   YORK 

E.    P.    DUTTON    &   CO. 

I  9  I  6 


w^ 


2  1^1^ 


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^0 

MY  PAS  FRIENDS 

THIS  WORK 

IS 
DEDICATED 


G102S-1 

GEOCTAPHY 


FOREWORD 

"  Sir, — I  hope  that  I  shall  live  to  see  a  city  at  the  terminus 
of  a  Hudson's  Bay  Railway.  ...  It  is  not  enough  for  us  to 
confine  our  views  to  Canada  that  is  now  settled,  we  must  look 
ahead,  we  must  push  northward  as  far  as  colonisation  can  go. 
I  have  great  confidence  that  before  many  years  are  past  we 
shall  see  towns  and  villages  on  the  shores  of  Hudson's  Bay, 
as  we  see  on  the  shores  of  Norway,  where  people  will  be  pros- 
perously engaged  in  the  lumbering  business,  the  pulp  industry, 
the  fishing  industry,  the  mining  industry,  and  others.  This 
is  what  I  hope  Canadians  will  see  ere  long." — Sir  Wilfrid 
Laurier  in  the  House  of  Commons,  April  3,  1906. 

"  The  people  of  Manitoba  are  self-reliant  and  very  optimistic 
as  to  the  future.  The  fact  that  it  is  expected  that  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Railway  will  be  completed  to  Port  Nelson  in  1916  inspires 
not  only  confidence  but  enthusiasm.  Every  mile  of  this  rail- 
way is  within  the  boundaries  of  Manitoba.  The  benefits  of 
this  route  to  Europe,  when  completed,  especially  to  this 
province,  cannot  be  over-estimated."  —  Sir  Rodmond  P. 
RobUn,  as  quoted  by  the  Monetary  Times  Annual,  1915. 


vu 


PREFACE 

Between  Sweden  and  Finland  extends,  from  the  6oth  degree 
of  latitude  to  the  66th,  a  body  of  water  about  450  miles  in 
length,  and  from  90  to  130  miles  in  width.  It  is  known  as 
the  Gulf  of  Bothnia,  the  name  formerly  given  to  the  country 
extending  along  its  east  and  west  shores,  separated  in  the 
north  by  the  Tornea  River,  and  now  belonging  to  Sweden  and 
Russia  respectively.  Although  the  depth  of  water  in  this 
inland  sea  is  from  20  to  50  fathoms,  it  freezes  over  in  winter 
so  as  to  be  crossed  by  sledges  and  carriages. 

Between  Aland  Island  at  its  southern  extremity  and  the 
Tornea  at  its  northern  end,  although  in  those  countries  very 
little  of  the  population  live  in  towns,  several  important 
cities  can  be  found,  such  as  Gefle,  population  32,000; 
Soderham,  11,000;  Sundsvall,  15,000;  Hernosand,  6000; 
Uleaborg  (about  60  degrees),  16,000;  Bjorneborg,  13,000. 
On  the  Swedish  side,  a  railroad  parallels  the  coast  at  a 
short  distance  inland,  and  from  the  northern  extremity  of 
the  gulf,  crossing  the  peninsula  north-westerly,  connects 
with  the  Atlantic  Ocean  at  Narvic,  in  Norway,  at  68°  50' 
latitude,  almost  a  full  degree  beyond  the  arctic  circle.  On 
the  Russian  side  another  railroad  connects  Bjorneborg,  a 
little  above  Aland  Island,  with  Tornea,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river  of  the  same  name  by  66  degrees.  By  this  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  Pas,  the  southern  terminus  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Road,  is  6  degrees  further  south.  Port  Nelson  3  degrees 
further  south,  and  the  most  northerly  point  of  Hudson 
Strait  only  one  degree  further  north  than  Aland  Island,  at 
the  south  extremity  of  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia;  that  Tornea, 
the  furthest  point  north  on  the  gulf,  is  5  degrees  further 
north  than  Hudson  Strait,  9  degrees  further  north  than 
Port  Nelson,  and  12  degrees  further  north  than  the  Pas; 
that  Narvic,  the  terminus  of  the  Swedish  -  Norwegian  rail- 

ix 


X  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

way  system,  is  a  little  more  than  ii  degrees  further  north 
than  Port  Nelson,  the  proposed  terminus  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Railway,  and  a  Uttle  over  7  degrees  further  north  than 
Hudson  Strait;  in  fine,  that  Hudson  Bay  has  over  the  Gulf 
of  Bothnia  the  advantage  that  it  never  freezes  over. 

No  one  doubts  that  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia  is  of  incalculable 
service  to  the  adjacent  countries  for  the  transportation  of  the 
crops  which  are  their  most  important  products,  although 
the  climate  is  said  to  be  very  rigorous,  principally  in  Finland, 
in  the  northern  part  of  which  the  sun  is  absent  for  the  two 
months  of  December  and  January  every  winter,  which  itself 
lasts  from  six  to  nine  months.  Moreover,  the  area  of  Finland, 
north  of  the  60th  degree  (which,  by  the  way,  represents  the 
northern  limit  of  Greater  Manitoba),  is  144,255  square  miles, 
or  33,845  square  miles  less  than  the  three  constituencies 
of  the  Pas,  Grand  Rapids  and  Churchill  -  Nelson,  and  its 
population  is  close  to  3,000,000.  Although  the  soil  is  for 
the  most  part  stony  and  poor,  ten  years  ago  its  exports 
amounted  to  $39,000,000,  and  its  total  foreign  commerce 
to  $84,000,000.  The  attention  of  my  readers  may  also  be 
drawn  to  Archangel,  a  seaport  on  the  White  Sea,  which  is 
very  much  to  Russia  what  Hudson  Bay  is  to  Canada.  Arch- 
angel is  a  city  of  40,000  inhabitants  and  is  the  capital  of  the 
province  of  the  same  name.  The  province  contains  331,490 
square  miles  and  has  a  population  of  348,500  people.  The 
port  is  closed  for  six  months  by  ice,  being  almost  seven 
degrees  of  latitude  further  north  than  Fort  Churchill. 

This  may  serve  to  demonstrate  that,  all  climatic  conditions 
guarded,  Manitoba  has  acquired  much  valuable  territory, 
and  that,  the  feasibility  of  the  Hudson  Bay  route  once 
admitted,  the  future  of  the  Pas,  the  natural  distributing 
point  for  the  whole  of  Western  Canada  and  its  wonderful 
wealth  in  agricultural  and  other  natural  products,  is  assured. 

The  purpose  of  this  book  is  chiefly  to  tell  of  the  country 
along  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  now  under  construction,  of 
Hudson  Bay,  the  Mediterranean  Sea  of  North  America,  and 
of  the  resources  to  be  found  in  Manitoba's  new  territory, 
including  the  great  inland  sea  on  which  it  borders.    Much  has 


PREFACE  xi 

been  written  on  the  subject  in  the  three  years  gone  by :  I  claim 
only  one  merit,  that  of  summing  up.  I  shall  feel  sufficiently 
recompensed  if  I  have  been  able  thus  to  interest  those  who 
are  anxious  to  form  an  opinion  about  the  vast  domain  recently 
acquired  by  Manitoba,  and  the  great  advantages  offered  by 
the  Hudson  Bay  Route.^ 

A.  H.  de  T. 

St.  Boniface,  Manitoba,  191 3-1 5. 

1 1  have  to  acknowledge  my  indebtedness  to  Rev.  Fr.  G.  A.  Morice, 
O.M.I.,  and  Rev.  R.  C.  Johnstone,  both  of  whom  have  kindly  assisted 
me  in  my  effort  to  make  this  book  as  complete  and  interesting  as 
possible,  by  placing  at  my  disposal,  the  former  his  splendid  private 
library,  the  latter  the  reference  portion  of  Winnipeg's  public  library 
dealing  with  my  subject. 


CONTENTS 


Preface  ....... 

I.  Discovery   of    Hudson    Bay — The    Hudson's    B.\y 
Company   ...... 

II.  Kelsey — La  France         .... 

III.  The  Lav^rendryes  .... 

IV.  Hendry — Hearne    ..... 
V.  The  North-West  Company — Mackenzie — Henry 

VI.  Thompson — Fraser — Franklin 
VII.  Selkirk  ....... 

VIII.  Hudson  Bay  and  Strait 
IX.  Opinions  on  Hudson  Bay  and  Strait 
X.  Political  History  of  Hudson  Bay  Railway 
XI.  Chief  Engineer's  Report 
XII.  Opinions  on  Hudson  Bay  Route     . 

XIII.  Geological  Features       .... 

XIV.  Natural  Resources  .... 
XV.  The  Saskatchewan  River 

XVI.  Extension  of  Manitoba's  Boundaries     . 
XVII.  Political  Organisation  .... 

XVIII.  Climate 

XIX.  The  Native  Population  .... 
XX.  The  Northern  Metropolis 
XXI.  The  Northern  Metropolis — continued 


page 
ix 


I 

9 

13 

21 

31 
39 
44 
49 
61 

72 
84 
103 
119 
126 
146 

154 
160 
171 
180 
192 
209 


APPENDICES 


A.  Hudson's    Bay    Company's    Posts    and    Modes    of 

Trade        .  .  .  .  .  .  ,  .221 

B.  Description  of  Hudson  Strait        ....     223 

xiii 


xiv  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Appendices — continued  page 

C.  Land  Reclaim  able  from  Saskatchewan  River  .     225 

D.  Concerning  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  .  .         .     226 

E.  The  Select  Committee's  Inquiry,  1857    .         .         .     228 

F.  "  The  "  or  "  Le  " — which  ?..,..     230 

G.  Stirring    Scenes    in    Picturesque    Northland    of 

Manitoba  ........     237 

H.  Alexander  Henry  and  Chatique  at  the  Pas    .         .     241 
I.  "  The  Unexploited  West  "        .....     243 

Bibliography  ........     247 

Index       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .251 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


A.  H.  DE  Tr6maudan  ......  Frontispiece 

Eskimo  Family  on  the  Polar  Barrens       .         .     Facing  page     7 

A  Typical  Indian  Maiden's   Dress.      Northern 

Manitoba's  Hinterland.     Husky  Dog  .         .  ,,  10 

On  the  Saskatchewan  at  the  Pas      ...  ,,  19 

Scene    in    Canada's    Hinterland.     The    ruins    of 

Fort  Churchill  in  the  background  on  the  right    .  „  30 

A  York  Boat  at  the  Pas   .....  ,,38 

Mode  of  Travelling  in  Northern  Manitoba's 
Hinterland.  R.N.W.M.  Policemen  leaving  the 
Pas  for  Roe's  Welcome  (600  miles  north  of  the 
Pas),  1912       .......  „  43 

Farming  Land  along  Nelson  River  ...  ,,46 

A  Missionary  Encampment  at  Fort  Churchill     .  ,,  53 

Training  Polar  Bear  Cubs  to  be  useful  at  Fort 

Churchill     .......  ,,  60 

R.N.W.M.  Policeman  ready  for  a  Dash  to  the 

North  from  the  Pas,   191 3   ....  ,,  81 

The  Start  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway,  at  the 

Pas ,,84 

Building  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  ...  ,,96 

A  Sample  of  Fish,  Northern  Manitoba      .         .  ,,         117 

On  the  Nelson  River,  14  miles  from  Port  Nelson  ,,         124 

A  View  of  Finger's  Saw  Mill  AT  THE  Pas        .         .  „         131 

Lynx  Falls  on  the  Grass  River         ...  ,,142 

The  Pas  in  1858.  From  a  sketch  made  by  John 
Fleming,  D.L.S,,  reproduced  in  North  -  West 
Territory  Report  on  the  Assiniboine  and  Sas- 
katchewan exploring  expedition,  by  Henry 
Youle  Hind,  M.A ,,146 

Building  the  Dredge,  now  in  use  on  the 
Saskatchewan  River  at  the  Pas,  Winter 
1913-14 ,.152 

River  Navigation  in  Northern  Manitoba  .  ,,         159 

Taking  the  "Herald"  to  the  Pas  Post  Office, 

January  18.   1912  .....  „         160 

XV 


xvi  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Visit  of  Premier  Roblin  to  the  Pas,  February  i6, 
1912.    A  small  portion  of  Sir  Rodmond  Roblin's 
face  may  be  seen  behind  the  second  figure  on  the 
right      ........  Facing  page  165 

Summer  Scene  in  the  Arctic      ....  ,,172 

Squaw  and  Papoose,  Manitoba's  New  Territory  ,,         1S6 

Cumberland  House.     From  a  picture  taken  in  191  i  ,,         195 

Interior  of  Christ  Church  at  the  Pas.  Showing 
furniture  built  by  the  Rev.  Hunter's  carpenters, 
winter  of  1847-8      '......  ,,         206 

Fischer  Avenue,  the  Pas,  191 3  .         .         .  „         209 

S.S.    "  Lafleur,"    River    Survey    Boat    on    the 

Saskatchewan       ......  ,,         224 

The  Harbour  on  the  Pas  River  at  the  Pas  .         .  ,,         230 

Work  at  Port  Nelson,   1914       ....  ,,         238 


MAPS 

North-West  Canada    ......  Facing  page  192 

Canada         ........  „  248 


THE   HUDSON   BAY  ROAD 

CHAPTER  I 

DISCOVERY   OF    HUDSON    BAY — THE   HUDSON'S   BAY   COMPANY 

No  one  will  probably  ever  tell  the  world  by  whom  Hudson 
Bay  was  first  discovered.  It  seems  reasonable  to  infer  from 
the  Cabot  planisphere  of  1544  that  the  entrance  to  the  strait 
was  reached  by  this  famous  navigator  as  early  as  1498.  A 
number  of  maps  ranging  from  that  of  Ruysch  in  1508  to  that 
of  Ortelius  in  1570  undoubtedly  refer  to  the  mouth  of  Hudson 
Strait,  and  Dr.  G.  M.  Asher  ^  is  authority  for  the  statement 
that  between  the  years  1558  and  1567  Portuguese  voyagers 
"  seem  to  have  advanced  slowly,  step  by  step,  first  along  the 
shores  of  Newfoundland,  then  up  the  mouth  of  Hudson's 
Strait,  then  through  that  strait,  and  at  last  into  Hudson's 
Bay."  ^  It  seems  also  certain  that  Davis  passed  over  the 
entrance  of  Hudson  Strait  in  August  1587,  and  that  Wey- 
mouth sailed  up  as  far  as  Charles  Island,  on  the  south  side 
of  the  strait,  in  1602,  five  years  before  Henry  Hudson's  first 

1  Henry  Hudson  the  Navigator,  by  Dr.  G.  M.  Asher.  3 
'  It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  mention  here  the  name  of  Laurent 
Ferrer  Maldonado,  a  Spaniard,  who  was  supposed  to  have  passed  in 
1588  from  the  coast  of  Labrador  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  calling  the 
passage  the  Strait  of  Anian.  The  book  relating  this  most  wonderful 
achievement  was  translated  by  Charles  Amoretti,  librarian  at  Milan  in 
18 1 2,  and  several  voyages  of  those  days  were  undertaken  on  the  strength 
of  the  information  found  in  it.  Cf.  Relacion  del  Descubrimiento  de 
Estrecho  de  Anian  hecho  por  el  autor.  Quam  vidi  MS.  apud  D.  Hieromy- 
mum  Mascarenas  rejium  ordinem  militarium,  deunde  conciliae  Portu- 
galliae  Senatorem,  Segoviensem  nunc  Antistitem.  Expeditionem  autem 
hanc  nauticam  se  fecisse  anno  1588  autor  ait. — Bib.  Hisp.,  torn.  ii.  p.  2. 

A 


2  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

voyage  in  search  of  the  North  Pole,  which  gave  this  unfortun- 
ate navigator  his  first  idea  of  a  North-West  passage,  seven 
years  before  the  old  commander  discovered  the  river  which 
bears  his  name  and  on  which  is  to  be  found  the  world's  second 
largest  city.  New  York,  eight  years  before  the  Discovery  sailed 
into  James  Bay,  nine  years  before  this  bark's  mutinous 
crew  cast  Hudson  with  his  young  son  upon  the  waters  that 
he  had  discovered,  to  perish.  For  "  so  passed  Henry  Hudson 
down  the  Long  Trail  on  June  21,  1611!  Did  he  suffer  that 
blackest  of  all  despair — ^loss  of  vision,  of  faith  in  his  dream? 
Did  life  suddenly  seem  to  him  a  cruel  joke  in  which  he  had 
played  the  part  of  the  fool?     Who  can  tell? 

"What  became  of  him?  A  silence  as  of  a  grave  in  the 
sea  rests  over  his  fate.  Barely  the  shadow  of  a  legend  illu- 
mines his  last  hours;  though  Indians  of  Hudson  Bay  to  this 
day  tell  folk-lore  yarns  of  the  first  Englishman  who  came  to 
the  bay  and  was  wrecked.  When  Radisson  came  overland 
to  the  bay  fifty  years  later  he  found  an  old  house  all  marked 
by  bullets.  Did  Hudson  take  his  last  stand  inside  that  house  ? 
Did  the  loyal  Ipswich  man  fight  his  last  fight  against  the 
powers  of  darkness  there  where  the  Goddess  of  Death  lines 
her  shores  with  the  bodies  of  the  dead?  Also,  the  Indians 
told  Radisson  childish  fables  of  a  '  ship  with  sails  '  having 
come  to  the  bay;  but  many  ships  came  in  those  fifty  years: 
Button's  to  hunt  in  vain  for  Hudson ;  Munck,  the  Dane's,  to 
meet  a  fate  worse  than  Hudson's. 

"  Hudson's  shallop  went  down  to  as  utter  silence  as  the 
watery  graves  of  those  old  sea  Vikings  who  rode  out  to  meet 
death  on  the  billow.  A  famous  painting  represents  Hudson 
huddled  panic-stricken  with  his  child  and  the  ragged  cast- 
aways in  a  boat  driving  to  ruin  among  the  ice  fields.  I  like 
better  to  think  as  we  know  last  of  him — standing  with  bound 
arms  and  face  to  face,  shouting  defiance  at  the  fleeing  enemy. 
They  could  kill  him,  but  they  could  not  crush  him!  It  was 
more  as  a  Viking  would  have  liked  to  die.  He  had  left  the 
world  benefited  more  than  he  could  have  dreamed — ^this 
pathfinder  of  two  empires'  commerce.  He  had  fought  his 
fight.     He  had  done  his  work.     He  had  chased  his  idea  down 


DISCOVERY  OF  HUDSON  BAY  3 

the  Long  Trail.  What  more  could  the  most  favoured  child 
of  the  gods  ask?  With  one's  task  done,  better  to  die  in 
harness  than  rot  in  some  garret  of  obscurity,  or  grow  garrulous 
in  an  imbecile  old  age — the  fate  of  so  many  great  benefactors 
of  humanity!  "  ^ 

The  accounts  of  all  Hudson's  voyages  were  written  by 
himself  or  under  his  orders:  they  being  the  first  authentic 
relations  of  voyages  in  those  parts,  it  seems  just  that  he 
should  be  credited  with  the  discovery  of  the  great  inland  sea 
which  bears  his  name. 

The  following  year  Admiral  Sir  Thomas  Button  undertook 
to  follow  up  Hudson's  discoveries  and  to  search  for  him:  he 
spent  the  winter  of  1612-13  at  Port  Nelson  which  he  named 
after  his  mate  who  died  there.  Scurvy  decimated  his  crews 
and  he  sailed  back  to  England  disheartened.  He  was  fol- 
lowed in  1614  by  Captain  Gibbon  who,  however,  did  not  go 
farther  than  Labrador,  and,  in  1615-16,  by  Baffin,  who 
discovered  the  land  of  that  name. 

Jens  Munck,  the  Danish  sailor-boy  who  had  attained  fame 
in  Iceland,  Nova  Zembla,  and  Russia,  then  appeared  on  the 
scene.  On  Sunday,  May  16,  1619,  he  put  out  for  Hudson 
Bay  and  in  September  discovered  the  Indian  River  of  the 
Strangers,  now  known  as  Churchill,  moving  up  stream  to  a 
point  since  known  as  Munck's  Cove.  At  that  time  the 
country  was  covered  with  timber  to  the  water's  edge :  Munck 
decided  to  winter  there.  Not  familiar  with  the  excessive  cold 
climate  of  the  country,  the  navigator  and  his  little  party 
fell  victims  to  scurvy  and  one  after  the  other  sixty-one  of  the 
men  died,  Munck  himself  penning  what  he  intended  to  be  his 
farewell  to  the  world  in  the  following  words: 

"  As  I  have  now  no  more  hope  of  life  in  this  world,  I  request 
for  the  sake  of  God  if  any  Christians  should  happen  to  come 
here,  they  will  bury  my  poor  body  together  with  the  others 
found,  and  this  my  journal  forward  to  the  King.  .  .  .  Here- 
with, good-night  to  all  the  world,  and  my  soul  to  God.  .  .  . 

"  Jens  Munck." 

*  The  Conquest  of  the  Great  North-West,  by  Agnes  C.  Laut,  vol.  i.  p.  6$ 
et  seq. 


4  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

With  two  of  his  men,  however,  he  survived  the  awful 
experience  of  the  plague  and,  after  a  terrible  voyage,  reached 
Denmark  again.  He  had  planned  to  colonise  the  country 
he  had  discovered,  but  instead  he  had  to  go  back  to  active 
service  in  the  Danish  navy.  He  died  in  1628.  Had  he 
succeeded  in  bringing  his  countrymen  to  Churchill,  "  as  far 
as  the  North-West  is  concerned,  there  would  have  been 
no  British  North  America."  ^ 

Fox  and  James  followed  in  1631,  the  former  from  Hull, 
with  the  help  of  Sir  Thomas  Roe  and  Sir  John  Wolstenholme, 
the  latter  from  Bristol  with  the  aid  of  merchants  of  that  town. 
Both  had  letters  for  the  Emperor  of  Japan. 

Fox  discovered  successively  Roe's  Welcome,  Marble  Island, 
which  he  named  Brooke  Cobham  after  Sir  John  Brooke,  one 
of  his  patrons,  Mistake  Bay,  and  other  points.  On  August  2 
he  reached  Fort  Churchill  believing  the  river  to  be  the  entrance 
to  the  South  Sea.  James  was  to  fall  into  the  same  error. 
Resuming  his  voyage.  Fox  sailed  down  the  coast  to  Port 
Nelson  and  remained  there  a  few  days,  restoring  a  cross  which 
he  beheved  had  been  erected  by  Sir  Thomas  Button  in  1613, 
and  nailing  on  it  the  following  inscription:  "  I  suppose  this 
Cross  was  first  erected  by  Sir  Thomas  Button,  1613.  It 
was  again  raised  by  Luke  Foxe,  Capt.  of  the  Charles,  in  the 
right  and  possession  of  my  dread  Soverigne  Charles  the  first, 
King  of  Great  Brittaine,  France  and  Ireland,  Defender  of 
the  Faith,  the  15  of  August,  1631.  This  land  is  called  New 
Wales."  2  Munck  had  called  the  country  New  Denmark: 
neither  name  was  to  be  preserved. 

In  the  meantime  James  had  sailed  across  the  bay  from 
the  western  end  of  Hudson  Strait,  arriving  at  Fort  Churchill 
on  August  II,  a  few  days  only  after  Fox's  departure. 
Leaving  Fort  Churchill,  he  did  not  land  at  Port  Nelson,  and 
therefore  was  first  to  explore  the  unknown  coast  beyond 
and  the  bay  that  bears  his  name.  No  more  than  his  friend 
Fox  had  he  the  opportunity  to  deliver  his  letters  to  the 
Emperor  of  Japan.     The  two  commanders  parted  at  Cape 

1  Laut,  op.  cit.  vol.  i.  p.  92. 

*  The  Search  for  the  Western  Sea,  by  Lawrence  J.  Burpee,  p.  54. 


DISCOVERY  OF  HUDSON  BAY  5 

Henrietta  Maria,  not  to  meet  again  until  their  return  to 
England. 

"  Reviewing  the  geographical  results  of  these  several 
voyages  into  Hudson  Bay,  up  to  and  including  1642,  it  is  seen 
that  Hudson  discovered  for  the  first  time  the  general  features 
of  the  strait,  and  the  eastern  coast  of  the  bay  down  to  its 
extreme  foot.  Button  made  known  the  rough  outlines  of 
the  west  coast,  from  Wager  Bay  to  Port  Nelson.  Foxe  and 
James  both  contributed  to  a  more  exact  delineation  of  the 
coast  covered  by  Button,  and  both  almost  simultaneously, 
though  quite  independently,  explored  the  hitherto  unknown 
coast  from  Port  Nelson  to  Cape  Henrietta,  while  James  alone 
explored  the  eastern  shores  of  James  Bay,  without  correcting 
Hudson's  error  in  dividing  it  into  two.  This  odd  mistake 
was  not,  in  fact,  rectified  until  many  years  later,  when  the 
explorations  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  dispelled  the 
illusion,  and  Cape  Monmouth,  with  the  long  peninsula  that 
lay  behind  it  —  on  the  maps  —  disappeared  into  thin  air. 
Although  the  primary  object  of  all  these  voyages  was  not 
accomplished,  they  resulted  in  a  very  important  piece  of 
exploration,  the  charting  of  the  entire  coast-line  of  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  remarkable  of  inland  seas."  ^ 

For  almost  a  half  century,  there  seems  to  have  been  no 
further  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  Europeans,  either  to  dis- 
cover the  route  to  the  South  Sea  by  the  so-called  North-West 
passage,  or  to  explore  the  strait  and  bays,  for  the  purpose  of 
settlement  or  commerce.  Apparently  the  many  sailors  who 
had  landed,  some  for  a  whole  winter  at  a  time,  at  different 
points  of  the  inland  sea  coasts,  had  not  had  occasion  to  see 
furs  in  quantities  sufficient  to  attract  their  attention,  and  what 
has  proved  to  this  day  such  an  enormous  source  of  inestimable 
revenues  and  profits,  was  not  even  dreamed  of  by  these  naviga- 
tors, bent  on  a  totally  different  mission.  Fifty  years  after 
their  time,  men  there  were  found  who,  in  their  pursuit  of  the 
fur  trade,  heard  of  Hudson  Bay  and  set  upon  the  task  of 
again  saiHng  into  its  waters,  exploring  its  coasts,  and  fully 
investigating  the  natural  resources  of  its  district. 
'  Burpee,  op.  cit.  p.  63. 


6  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

In  France  were  born  the  two  men  who  were  destined  to 
give  Hudson  Bay  the  fame  it  has  retained  to  this  day.  One 
was  Pierre  Esprit  de  Radisson,  a  native  of  Paris,  where  he 
was  born  in  1636,  the  other  Menart  Chouart  sieur  Desgro- 
seillers,^  who  was  bom  at  Charly  St.  Cyr  near  Meaux  in  1621. 
They  were  brothers-in-law,  the  latter  having  married  Radis- 
son's  widowed  sister.  While  there  is  no  certainty  as  to  the 
wanderings  of  these  two  men  in  search  of  adventure  and 
fortune,  it  would  appear  that  they  had  at  least  "  obtained 
valuable  information  as  to  the  geography  of  the  regions  about 
Hudson  Bay,  and  the  inexhaustible  harvest  of  furs  that 
awaited  those  enterprising  enough  to  establish  trading  posts 
in  this  northern  country."  ^ 

On  their  return  from  one  of  their  expeditions  about  and 
possibly  west  of  the  Great  Lakes,  they  had  unsuccessfully 
endeavoured  to  interest  friends  at  Three  Rivers,  as  well  as 
the  government  at  Quebec.  The  man  who  was  at  the  head 
of  the  latter  had  confiscated  and  turned  to  his  own  use  600,000 
beaver  skins  that  they  had  brought  from  the  north  and 
refused  them  any  assistance.  At  Port  Royal  they  had  enlisted 
the  services  of  the  very  man  who  later  was  to  lead  them  to  the 
shores  which  they  sought,  Captain  Gillam:  but  "opposite 
Hudson  Straits  the  navigator  had  been  terrified  by  the  ice 
and  lost  heart."  ^  The  two  adventurers  then  crossed  the 
ocean  and  decided  to  ask  the  assistance  of  Charles  H.,  King 
of  England.  Thus  was  formed  in  1666  the  famous  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  called  in  its  charter  of  1670  the  Governor  and 
Company  of  Adventurers  of  England  trading  into  Hudson's 
Bay.  To  this  day  Western  Canada  almost  reveres  the 
memory  of  what  is  known  as  the  oldest  established  company 
in  the  British  Empire,  if  not  in  the  world.  Prince  Rupert, 
cousin  of  King  Charles,  the  Duke  of  Albemarle,  Earl  of  Craven, 
Sir  George  Carteret,  Sir  John  Robinson,  Sir  Peter  Colleton, 
General  Monck,  and  a  number  of  other  noblemen  or  merchants, 
as  incorporators,  were  granted  a  charter  with  such  vast  and 

1  Married  to  a  daughter  of  Abraham  Martin,  who  gave  his  name  to 
the  Plains  of  Abraham. 

*  Burpee,  op.  cit.  p.  65.  '  Laut,  op.  cit.  vol.  i.  p.  102. 


I    ^ 


THE  HUDSON'S  BAY  COMPANY     7 

extraordinary  powers  that  some  of  these  make  people  of  our 
epoch  smile  in  wonderment.  To  quote  the  document  itself, 
the  company  was  given  "  the  whole  trade  of  all  the  seas, 
streights,  and  bays,  rivers,  lakes,  creeks,  and  sounds,  in 
whatever  latitude  they  shall  be,  that  lie  within  the  entrance 
of  the  streights,  commonly  called  Hudson's  streights,  together 
with  all  the  lands,  countries,  and  territories  upon  the  coasts 
and  confines  of  the  seas,  streights,  bays,  lakes,  rivers,  creeks, 
and  sounds  aforesaid,  which  are  not  now  actually  possessed 
by  any  of  our  subjects,  or  by  the  subjects  of  any  other  Christian 
prince  or  State."  ^ 

"  This  was  generous  indeed.  But  some  there  are  who, 
remembering  the  axiom,  '  nobody  giveth  what  he  possesseth 
not,'  may  find  this  liberality  of  a  cheap  kind,  since  never 
before  had  an  English  monarch  claimed  as  his  what,  on  the 
2nd  of  May  1670,  Charles  II.  so  kindly  bestowed  on  his 
kinsman  and  future  associates  in  the  fur  trade."  ^ 

Two  small  vessels,  the  Eagle  and  Nonsuch,  had  sailed  in 
1667  under  the  respective  commands  of  Captains  Starnard 
and  Gillam,  another,  the  Wavero,  in  1668  and  1669,  with 
Captain  Newland.  Port  Nelson  and  Rupert  Bay  had  been 
reached:  Charles  Fort,  near  Charlton  Island,  had  been  built: 
the  first  trading  in  furs  had  taken  place:  a  new  route  of 
commerce  had  been  established. 

In  rapid  succession  posts  ^  were  located  at  Albany,  Moose, 
Rupert,  Nelson,  Severn,  Churchill  Rivers,  the  whole  territory 
itself  receiving  the  name  of  Rupert's  Land  after  the  chief 
promoter  and  first  governor  of  the  company,  the  "  fiery  " 
Prince  Rupert  of  Edgehill. 

Unable    to    make    satisfactory    arrangements    with    the 

company,  Radisson  and  Desgroseillers  had  in  the  meantime 

(1674)  crossed  over  to  France,  the  former  once  more  changing 

his  allegiance  (1684),  and  from  that  time  to  the  day  of  his 

death  remaining  in  the  service  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 

'  History  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  Western  Canada,  by  the  Rev.  A.  G. 
Morice,  O.M.I.,  vol.  i.  p.  lo. 

*  Morice,  op.  cit.  vol.  i.  p.  lo. 

•  For  typical  description  of  a  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  post  see 
Appendix  A. 


8  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

While  serving  under  the  flag  of  France,  he  had  had  no  trouble 
to  prove  to  the  Gentlemen  Adventurers  of  England  that  if  he 
could  do  without  them,  they  could  not  do  without  him.  In 
fact,  in  its  own  interest,  the  company  deemed  it  advisable  to 
re-estabhsh  the  two  men  in  the  positions  which  they  had  once 
occupied. 

Without  following  the  noble  traders  into  all  the  details 
of  their  settlement  and  commerce  on  and  about  Hudson  Bay 
and  Rupert's  Land,  it  may  be  mentioned  as  an  important 
feature  of  the  history  of  those  times  that  the  enmity  which 
then  existed  between  England  and  France  had  its  natural 
repercussion  even  as  far  as  the  far-away  waters  of  North 
America.  No  one  can  read  the  history  of  those  days  without 
admiring  the  daring  exploits  of  de  Troyes,  d'Iberville,  and 
La  Perouse  and  without  somewhat  wondering  at  the  easy 
surrenders  of  Samuel  Hearne  at  Fort  Prince  of  Wales  and 
Humphrey  Martin  at  York  Factory  in  1782.  But  these  may  be 
explained  from  the  fact  that  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  was 
essentially  a  company  of  merchants  and  traders,  as  their 
motto  imphes,  "  Pro  Pelle  Cutem "  ("  Skin  for  skin "), 
who  at  times  "  forgot  the  flag  that  floated  over  it,"  in  spite 
of  the  assertion  of  contemporary  writers  to  the  contrary.^ 

The  principal  merit  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  lies  in 
having,  for  the  250  years  that  they  have  navigated  it,  proved 
beyond  doubt  to  the  world  and  principally  to  this  continent 
that  the  Hudson  Bay  route  is  the  shortest  route  of  commerce 
between  the  old  world  and  the  new,  and  that  the  dangers  in 
its  course,  of  which  more  anon,  are  no  worse  than  those  to  be 
met  on  other  routes  further  south.  In  this  alone  there  is 
enough  glory  for  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  to  have  the 
right  to  expect  and  receive  both  the  admiration  and  the 
respect  of  every  true  Canadian  and  Britisher. 

*  The  Remarkable  History  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  by  George 
Bryce,  M.A.,  LL.D.,  p.  19. 


KELSEY 


CHAPTER  II 

KELSEY — LA   FRANCE 

In  Spite  of  great  losses  sustained  through  wars  and  tempests, 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  so  firmly  estabhshed  itself  in  its 
territory,  such  an  immense  quantity  of  valuable  furs  was, 
year  after  year,  shipped  home  by  her  factors,  that  soon  the 
value  of  her  shares  doubled  and  trebled  and  doubled  and 
trebled  again  in  value.  Magnificent  dividends  were  dis- 
tributed among  her  members.  To  be  a  shareholder  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  meant  to  be  a  wealthy  individual: 
only  men  with  great  fortunes  were  in  a  position  to  buy  stock 
from  the  "  old  worthies  "  as  the  Honourable  Adventurers 
were  called  among  the  common  people. 

So  far — about  1690 — no  attempt  had  been  made  to  found 
trading  posts  inland,  and  no  one  for  the  company  had  under- 
taken to  find  out  anything  about  the  very  object  for  which  it 
would  appear  that  it  had  been  established,  viz.,  in  the  words 
of  the  charter,  "  the  discovery  of  a  new  passage  to  the  South 
Sea."  ^  From  reports  that  the  French,  not  content  with  their 
few  posts  on  the  bay,  were  steadily  pushing  westward  from  the 
Great  Lakes  and  threatening  to  intercept  the  Indian  fleets 
of  canoes  before  they  reached  the  bay,  it  became  evident  that 
measures  must  be  afforded  to  protect  the  company's  posts 
against  the  competing  traders. 

*  "  We  cannot  join  in  the  praise  ascribed  to  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  whose  only  merits  (if  they  have  any)  are,  at  any  rate,  of  the 
negative  kind.  Their  total  disregard  of  every  object  for  which  they 
obtained  and  have  now  held  a  royal  charter  for  nearly  150  years 
entitles  them  to  anything  but  praise.  The  great  leading  feature  on 
which  their  petition  for  an  exclusive  charter  was  grounded,  the  dis- 
covery of  a  North-West  Passage  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  has 
not  only  been  totally  neglected,  but,  unless  they  have  been  grossly 
calumniated,  thwarted  to  every  means  in  their  power." — "  Lord 
Selkirk  and  the  North-West  Company,"  Quarterly  Review,  1816. 


10  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Henry  Kelsey,  an  apprentice  boy,  who  had  been  in 
the  service  of  the  company  for  two  years,  on  different 
occasions  had  expressed  the  desire  of  travelHng  with  the 
Indians.  In  the  summer  of  1690  Governor  Geyer  of 
Port  Nelson  reports  that  he  "  sent  up  Henry  Kelsey  (who 
cheerfully  undertook  the  journey)  into  the  country  of  the 
Assinae  Poets  (Assiniboines) ,  with  the  Captain  of  that  nation, 
to  call,  encourage,  and  invite  the  remoter  Indians  to  a  trade 
with  us."  1  Just  how  far  the  boy  went,  if  indeed  he  went 
at  all,  will  probably  never  be  known,  as  the  account  of  his 
journey  given  in  his  journal  is  of  such  a  vague  nature  that 
competent  writers,  after  Joseph  Robson,^  who  lived  in  the 
days  of  the  traveller,  have  expressed  the  opinion  that  he  never 
left  the  shores  of  Hudson  Bay.  Others  ^  think,  however, 
that  he  may  have  been  north  of  Lake  Winnipeg  and  the 
Saskatchewan,  in  the  region  now  known  as  Cumberland,  and 
the  Pas.*  Others  again,  prominent  amongst  whom  is  to  be 
found  R.  H.  Hunter  of  the  Canadian  Topographical  Surveys, 
believe  that  he  never  came  near  to  that  lake  and  that  river, 
but  may  have  gone  to  the  Athabasca  country.  Those  of 
our  readers  who  are  familiar  with  the  topography  of  the 
country  extending  between  the  Pas  and  Port  Nelson,  and 
Norway  House  and  Port  Nelson,  will  agree  with  Mr.  Hunter 
that  it  would  be  difficult  for  men,  even  Indians,  to  have  gone 
500  miles  in  sixty  days,  over  morasses,  bog,  and  tangled  under- 
brush— for  Kelsey  states  that,  to  travel  faster,  he  and  his 
party  had  abandoned  their  canoes.  Only  authors  not  con- 
versant with  the  conditions  extant  along  the  Hudson  Bay 

"^  Hudson's  Bay  Reports,  1749. 

^ "  According  to  his  journal,  Kelsey  did  not  go  by  land  and  water 
above  500  miles  in  two  months,  and  as  it  does  not  appear  that  he  had 
any  compass  with  him  to  know  upon  which  point  he  travelled,  he  prob- 
ably did  not  go  in  all  120  leagues  in  a  straight  line  from  Deering's  point, 
and  perhaps  much  less;  for  if  Kelsey  only  computed  these  miles  he 
would  take  care  not  to  make  them  less  than  they  were." — An  Account 
of  Six  Years'  Residence  in  Hudson's  Bay  from  1733  to  1736  and  1744  to 
1747,  by  Joseph  Robson.     MDCCLII.,  London. 

*  Agnes  C.  Laut,  Dr.  E.  Coues,  Charles  N.  Bell,  etc. 

*  We  have  adopted  the  spelling  of  the  Geographical  Board  of  Canada. 
The  map  of  1857  of  Arrowsmith  calls  the  place  "  Pas." 


A  TYPICAL  Indian'   Maiden's   Dress.     Northern   Manitoba's 
Hinterland.     Hi'skv   Dog 


KELSEY— LA  FRANCE  ii 

Railway,  now  under  construction,  can  believe  what  Miss  Agnes 
C.  Laut,  this  otherwise  so  well-informed  writer,  suggests  in 
the  following  note  on  the  doubt  cast  by  Robson  on  Kelsey's 
voyage:  "  Robson  casts  doubt  on  Kelsey  having  gone  inland 
from  Nelson,  but  Robson  was  writing  in  a  mood  of  spite 
toward  his  former  employers.  The  reasons  given  for  his 
doubt  are  two-fold:  (i)  Kelsey  could  not  have  gone  500  miles 
in  sixty  days ;  (2)  in  the  dry  season  of  July,  Kelsey  could  not 
have  followed  an  Indian  trail.  Both  objections  are  absurd. 
Forty  miles  a  day  is  not  a  high  average  for  a  good  woodsman 
or  canoeman.  As  to  following  a  trail  in  July,  the  very  fact 
that  the  grass  was  so  brittle  made  it  easy  to  follow  recent 
tracks.  Night  camp  fire  and  the  general  direction  of  the  land 
would  be  guides  enough  for  a  good  pathfinder,  let  alone  the 
crumpled  grasses  left  behind  a  horde  of  wandering  Indians."  ^ 
Instead  of  "  brittle  "  and  "  crumpled  "  grasses  have  muskeg 
and  swamp  and  the  task  becomes  very  arduous  indeed. 

In  all  probability  the  voyage  attributed  to  and  related  by 
Kelsey  was  never  made.  For  this  reason,  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  after  the  1749  inquiry  thought  it  advisable 
to  never  again  bring  it  down  in  support  of  its  claim  to  the 
occupation  of  the  territory  draining  into  Hudson  Bay  by 
reason  of  first  discovery  and  exploration. 

More  conceivable  is  the  story  of  La  France's  trip  northward 
from  Michilimakinac  on  Lake  Huron,  as  told  by  Arthur 
Dobbs.2  The  son  of  a  French  trader  married  to  a  Saulteaux 
woman,  Joseph  La  France,  when  he  was  quite  young,  had 
travelled  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  River.  Having 
been  in  serious  trouble  with  the  French  authorities  at  Montreal, 
he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  reach  Hudson  Bay,  and,  if  pos- 
sible, enter  the  service  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  With 
this  purpose  in  view,  he  set  out  in  the  early  part  of  1739, 
reached  Grand  Portage  on  Lake  Superior  in  April  1740,  paddled 
down  Rainy  River  to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  which  he  crossed, 
arriving  at  Lake  Winnipeg  in  September.     During  the  v.inters 

•  Laut,  op.  cit.  vol.  i.  p.  296. 

*  Arthur  Dobbs,  An  Account  of  the  Countries  adjoining  Hudson's 
Bay.  .  .  .     London,  1744. 


12  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

of  1740-41  and  1741-42  he  appears  to  have  hunted  with  the 
Crees  about  the  present  district  of  the  Pas,  on  the  Carrot 
River  and  Saskeram  Lake.  In  the  beginning  of  March  1742 
he  was  at  Cedar  Lake,  which  he  calls  Lake  Pachegoia,  and 
started  for  the  bay.  In  May  he  reached  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Nelson  on  Lake  Winnipeg,  which  he  called  the  river 
Savanne,  ascended  the  Echimamish,  crossed  over  to  the 
Hayes  and  reached  York  Factory  on  June  29,  1742.  Although 
he  had  followed  the  most  natural  and  easy  route,  that  of  the 
rivers  down  current,  he  had  taken  double  the  time  in  which 
Kelsey,  forty  years  before,  was  supposed  to  have  made  the 
trip  in  the  opposite  direction,  up  stream  and  across  muskeg. 

With  the  exception  of  where  the  half-breed  spent  the  two 
winters  of  1740-41  and  1741-42,  the  country  described  in  the 
narrative  of  Dobbs  is  easily  recognisable,  considering  that 
the  writer  obtained  all  his  information  from  Indians.  Grave 
doubts,  however,  exist  about  the  district  over  which  he 
travelled  in  the  course  of  those  two  winters,  which  is  empha- 
sised by  the  fact  that  on  his  way  out  of  Cedar  Lake  no 
mention  is  made  of  the  Grand  Rapids  of  Saskatchewan, 
while  several  on  the  Nelson  and  other  rivers  that  he  paddled 
upon  are  spoken  of.  The  narrative  of  his  journey  must 
forcibly  therefore  be  relegated  in  the  same  class  as  that  of 
Henry  Kelsey,  in  so  far  as  the  discovery  of  the  Saskatchewan 
River,  chief  waterway  and  only  natural  highway,  in  those 
days,  of  the  immense  territory  south  of  Hudson  Bay,  is 
concerned. 


THE  LAVERENDRYES  13 


CHAPTER  III 

THE   LAVERENDRYES 

In  1727  there  was  stationed  at  Lake  Nepigon  a  man  whose 
name  was  destined,  in  after  years,  to  be  hailed  as  that  of 
the  discoverer  of  the  Great  North- West.  Pierre  Gaultier  de 
Varennes,  Sieur  de  la  Verendrye,  or  Laverendrye,  the  youngest 
of  nine  children,  was  born  at  Three  Rivers,  November  17, 
1685,  of  Rene  Gaultier,  Chevalier  de  Varennes,  governor  of 
the  town,  and  Marie  Boucher.  He  began  his  eventful  career 
as  a  French  officer  in  the  War  of  the  Spanish  Succession. 
At  the  battle  of  Malplaquet,  September  11,  1709,  he  was  left 
for  dead  on  the  field  with  nine  wounds.  This  devotion  to 
the  French  crown  gave  him  nothing  more  than  the  mere 
title  of  lieutenant.  On  his  return  to  his  native  land,  he  took 
up  the  life  of  "  coureur  de  bois  "  and  fur  trader,  not  so  much 
for  the  profits  there  were  known  to  be  in  these  caUings,  as 
because  of  his  desire  to  add  to  the  glory  of  the  Motherland 
by  making  discoveries  of  new  territory. 

The  great  question  of  those  days  was  the  Western  Passage. 
Through  the  Indian  chief  Ochagach,  who  has  been  called 
Western  Canada's  first  geographer,  Laverendrye  had  learned 
of  a  road  to  it.  Aided  by  Father  Degonnor  he  laid  before 
Governor  de  Beauharnois  a  plan  which  resulted  in  his  leaving 
Montreal  on  June  8,  1731,  at  the  head  of  fifty  men  and  armed, 
instead  of  funds  which  the  French  governor  could  not  procure 
from  the  effeminate  Louis  XV.,  with  a  monopoly  of  the  fur 
trade  in  the  country  through  which  his  venture  would  take 
him.  With  him  went  three  of  his  sons,  Jean  Baptiste,  Pierre, 
and  Frangois,  his  nephew  Christophe  Dufrost  de  la  Jemmeraye, 
who  had  already  travelled  in  the  west,  and  the  Jesuit  Father 
Mesaiger,  the  latter  as  chaplain  of  the  expedition. 


14  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

On  August  26  they  reached  Grand  Portage,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Pigeon  River,  fifteen  leagues  south-west  of  Kaministi- 
quia  on  Lake  Superior.  The  next  day  a  number  of  his  men, 
influenced  by  the  evil  counsels  of  his  enemies  at  Montreal, 
refused  to  undertake  the  nine-mile  portage.  Undaunted 
and  seconded  in  his  efforts  by  Father  Mesaiger,  Laverendrye 
finally  succeeded  in  coaxing  a  number  of  them,  who  had  been 
with  La  Jemmeraye  at  Lake  Pepin  in  what  is  now  Wisconsin 
and  Minnesota,  into  going  to  estabhsh  the  post  of  Lac  la 
Pluie,^  later  known  as  Fort  St.  Pierre,  in  honour  of  the  chief 
of  the  expedition.  With  the  rest  of  his  men  he  wintered  at 
Kaministiquia.  The  following  year  (1732),  June  8,  Laveren- 
drye, with  his  nephew,  who  had  joined  him  again,  Father 
Mesaiger,  two  of  his  sons  and  seven  canoemen,  pushed  on  to 
the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  where  he  built  a  fort  which  he  named 
Fort  St.  Charles,  after  the  Christian  name  of  Governor 
de  Beauhamois,  who  was  using  whatever  little  influence 
he  had  at  the  court  of  France  to  facihtate  the  ends  of  the 
expedition. 

Fort  St.  Charles,  the  site  of  which  was  discovered  a  few 
years  ago  by  members  of  the  Historical  Society  of  St.  Boniface 
and  recently  purchased  by  His  Grace  Archbishop  Langevin, 
was  nothing  more  than  a  small  group  of  rough  log  cabins 
covered  with  bark,  enclosed  in  a  quadrilateral  stockade.  It 
served  as  a  model  for  all  the  other  posts  of  the  Western  Sea 
to  be  estabhshed  during  a  century  or  more  by  Laverendrye, 
his  successors  and  imitators. 

Making  Fort  St.  Charles  his  headquarters  for  a  time, 
Laverendrye  sent  La  Jemmeraye  to  Montreal  to  report  on 
the  expedition,  and  his  eldest  son  Jean  Baptiste  to  erect  a 
fort  at  the  mouth  of  the  Winnipeg  River,  which  was  called 
Fort  Maurepas  after  the  French  Minister  of  Colonies,  who 
had  done  so  Httle,  if  anything,  for  him.  This  stood  near  the 
spot  where  Fort  Alexander  is  to  be  found  to-day. 

The  discoverer,  who  had  lost  more  than  43,000  French 
pounds  in  the  expedition,  his  three  posts  having  only  5nelded 

1  Pierre  Margry,  Decouvertes  et  diablissements  des  Fratifais  dans  I'ouest, 
etc.,  1614-98,  vol.  vi.  p.  586. 


THE  LAVERENDRYES  15 

600  packs  of  furs,  found  it  necessary  at  this  juncture  to  return 
to  Montreal  to  confer  with  his  partners,  who  were  clamouring 
for  dividends  and  refusing  to  send  up  any  further  suppHes. 
He  also  hoped  to  be  able  to  decide  the  French  king,  through  the 
government  at  Quebec,  to  bear  the  expense  of  a  new  expedi- 
tion. Meeting  with  a  refusal  from  the  court  of  France  to 
come  to  his  help  beyond  the  monopoly  of  the  fur  trade  that 
he  had  been  granted  before  leaving  on  his  first  expedition, 
Laverendrye  was  reduced  to  lease  for  five  j^ears  his  establish- 
ments to  his  creditors,  in  order  to  obtain  the  necessary  cash 
to  proceed  with  the  aim  that  he  had  set  himself  to  attain :  the 
discovery  of  the  Western  Sea.  His  canoes  laden  with  supplies, 
which  meant  that  the  explorer  was  deeper  in  debt  than  ever, 
he  set  out  again  for  his  western  posts,  full  of  enthusiasm. 
During  his  visit  to  Quebec  he  had  made  arrangements  for  his 
eighteen-year-old  son,  Louis  Joseph,  to  study  the  making  of 
maps  and  plans,  and  so  materially  assist  the  party  the  follow- 
ing year.  Father  Mesaiger,  whose  health  had  been  failing, 
remained  in  the  east,  and  Father  Aulneau  de  la  Touche, 
another  Jesuit  father,  took  his  place  to  confer  the  consolations 
of  religion  unto  the  members  of  the  expedition. 

Travelling  ahead  of  his  party  in  a  light  canoe,  Laverendrye 
preceded  the  provision  canoes  at  Fort  St.  Charles  by  several 
weeks.  Soon  this  fort  and  Fort  Maurepas  were  almost 
reduced  to  starvation.  On  June  4,  1736,  the  unfortunate 
discoverer  was  grieved  beyond  expression  to  learn  of  the 
death,  on  May  10,  of  his  nephew  and  right  hand.  La  Jem- 
meraye,  at  the  latter  fort,  after  a  brief  illness  brought  on  by 
overwork  and  exposure.  The  climax  of  the  commander's 
trials,  however,  was  reached  when,  a  few  days  later,  on  an 
island  off  what  is  now  known  as  Oak  Point,  his  eldest  son, 
Jean  Baptiste,  Father  Aulneau,  and  nineteen  of  his  men, 
who  had  started  out  to  meet  the  delayed  canoes  from  Mon- 
treal, were  massacred  by  a  party  of  Sioux.  A  day  or  two 
later,  Sieur  Legras  arrived  from  Michilimakinac  with  the 
supplies. 

Men,  less  energetic  and  less  enthusiastic,  would  have  been 
crushed  by  so  severe  blows  falling  all  at  once:   others,  with 


i6  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

spirits  aroused  by  the  desire  of  revenge,  would  have  started 
on  the  war  path  against  the  treacherous  Indians.  Lave- 
rendrye  thought  only  of  the  noble  mission  that  he  had 
undertaken:  nothing  daunted,  he  moved  forward,  having 
first  returned  to  Montreal  to  equip  a  third  expedition,  in 

1737- 
In  rapid  succession  he  ascended  the  Red  River  to  the  forks, 

and  on  the  present  site  of  the  metropolis  of  Western  Canada, 

Winnipeg,  which  he  reached  on  September  24,  1738,  erected 

Fort  Rouge  to  replace  the  fort  that  the  Indians  had  built  for 

him  the  previous  year,  but  which  he  did  not  find  sufficient 

for  his   purpose,   then   paddled   up  the  Assiniboine   River 

and    built    Fort    La    Reine,    named    after    the    Queen    of 

France,  not  far  from  the  present  city  of  Portage  la  Prairie, 

where  he  established  his  second  base  of  operations  in  the 

west. 

In  company  with  his  two  sons  and  fifty  Frenchmen  and 
Indians,  he  spent  the  winter  of  1738-39  in  an  overland  voyage 
to  and  from  the  land  of  the  Mandans  on  the  Missouri,^  giving 
in  his  narrative  of  the  expedition  a  description  of  the  dress, 
manners,  and  habits  of  the  inhabitants  of  those  regions  closely 
resembling  the  relations  of  later  visitors,  such  as  Lewis  and 
Clark,  Alexander  Henry,  David  Thompson,  Prince  Maximilian 
of  Wied,  and  Catlin.  There  his  son  Pierre  attempted  to  return 
in  the  fall  of  1739,  but,  failing  to  secure  guides,  he  had  to 
return  to  Fort  La  Reine. 

In  the  spring  of  1741  Laverendrye  had  again  to  repair  to 
Montreal  to  resist  a  lawsuit  brought  against  him  by  jealousy, 
then  the  prevailing  sin  of  French  Canada.  Stupid  courtiers 
there  were  who  would  see  nothing  in  the  efforts  of  the  noble 
explorer  but  cupidity  and  selfishness.  "  If  more  than  40,000 
livres  of  debt  which  I  have  on  my  shoulders  are  an  advantage, 
then  I  can  flatter  myself  that  I  am  very  rich,"  pleaded  the 
heartbroken  yet  undaunted  commander. 

Returning  to  Fort  La  Reine  with  Fathers  du  Jaunay  and 
Coquart,  Laverendrye,  in  the  spring  of  1742,  sent  his  two 

1  The  next  man  to  visit  the  Mandans  of  whom  there  are  records 
was  David  Thompson  in  1797. 


THE  LAVERENDRYES  17 

youngest  sons,  Pierre  and  Louis,  to  the  land  of  the  Mandans 
once  more.  There  the  young  men  remained  for  three  months 
before  they  could  decide  any  of  their  Indian  hosts  to  accom- 
pany them  in  the  expedition  westward  which  was  to  result 
in  the  discovery  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  January  1743,  at  a 
point  in  the  south-west  corner  of  the  present  state  of  Montana. 
They  returned  to  Fort  La  Reine  on  July  2,  1743,  to  the  great 
relief  of  their  father,  who  had  grown  quite  uneasy  on  account 
of  their  prolonged  absence. 

In  the  intervals  of  these  several  expeditions  to  the  land  of 
the  Mandans  and  as  early  as  1738  Laverendrye's  sons  had 
discovered  the  west  and  north  ends  of  Lake  Winnipeg  and 
Lake  Manitoba,  the  latter  called  by  them  Lac  des  Prairies. 
In  1741  they  had  established  Fort  Dauphin,  explored  Lake 
Winnipegosis  and  the  Saskatchewan  River  to  the  forks  .^ 
They  built  several  forts  on  the  lakes  and  rivers  that  they 
travelled  upon,  but,  unfortunately  for  the  historian,  left  no 
records  of  the  years  in  which  they  were  erected.  On  a  map 
of  1750,  the  Saskatchewan  River  is  shown  under  the  name 
Poskaiao  and  the  Churchill  River  is  called  the  Riviere  des 
Christinaux.  Fort  Bourbon  is  shown  on  the  lake  of  the 
same  name  (now  Cedar  Lake).  When  in  1808  Henry ^  reached 
the  present  site  of  the  Pas,  he  found  the  remains  of  an  old 
fort,  "  Fort  Poskoia  or  Basquia,"  ^  built  by  Laverendrye's  sons 
more  than  half  a  century  before.     Nipawi,  des  Prairies  or  St. 

*  With  the  Pas  River.  Strange  enough,  in  the  memoire  of  his  services 
presented  to  Rouille,  Minister  and  Secretary  of  State  for  the  Marine 
Department,  after  1752,  which  is  the  last  date  given  by  de  Vassan, 
captain  of  the  troops  of  New  France,  Pierre  Gaultier  de  Laverendrye 
does  not  mention  the  discovery  of  the  Saskatchewan  River. 

'  The  younger.  Read  in  Appendix  H  the  adventure  in  which  his 
uncle  was  the  party  mostly  interested  at  the  same  place,  then  called 
Pasquayah,  in  October  1775. 

'  Some  writers,  such  as  Judge  L.  A.  Prud'homme,  are  of  the  opinion 
that  Fort  Poskoyac  was  at  the  forks  of  the  two  Saskatchewans.  This 
interpretation  is  certainly  wrong  as  one  may  assure  himself  by  study- 
ing Jeffrey's  map  of  1762  and  Bonne's  map  of  1770,  on  which  the  Pas 
is  evidently  called  Poskoyac  and  Poscoyac.  It  is  also  shown  as  Fort 
Poscoyac  on  the  map  of  the  North-West  Part  of  Canada,  Hudson's 
Bay,  and  Indian  Territories,  drawn  by  Thomas  Devine  by  order  of  the 
Honourable  Joseph  Cauchon,  Commissioner  of  Crown  Lands,  Toronto, 
March  1857. 


1 8  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Louis  is  another  fort  further  up  the  river,  v/hich  was  found  in 
a  ruinous  condition  by  the  Scotch  merchants  in  the  first 
portion  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

In  1743,  the  discoverer  of  the  Great  North-West  had  to 
succumb  to  the  petty  jealousies  and  infamous  intrigues  of  the 
very  men  who  should  have  helped  along  every  one  of  his 
moves.  After  giving  the  best  years  of  his  life  to  a  work  of 
discovery  and  settlement  heretofore  unequalled,  disgusted 
with  the  unjust  treatment  of  his  enemies,  he  asked  to  be 
relieved  of  the  responsibilities  which  had  caused  him  nothing 
but  anxiety  and  criticism. 

His  successor,  Captain  Charles  Joseph  Fleurimont  de 
Noyelle,  if  he  did  not  like  exerting  himself,  had  at  least  the 
good  sense  to  call  to  his  assistance  the  sons  of  the  explorer. 
This  is  how  the}'  are  found  still  on  the  work  for  several  years 
after  the  retirement  of  their  father.  De  Noyelle  even  sug- 
gested to  Governor  de  Beauhamois  to  send  him  the  Sieur  de 
Laverendrye,  but  the  governor's  recall  prevented  the  execu- 
tion of  this  plan.  The  Marquis  de  la  Galissoniere,  who  suc- 
ceeded de  Beauhamois,  shared  his  predecessor's  views  on 
the  impossibility  for  explorers  to  accomplish  very  much 
without  government  assistance,  but  his  appeals  were  no  better 
heeded.  Fatigued  of  a  position  for  which  he  did  not  feel 
any  aptitude,  de  Noyelle  resigned  in  1749.  La  Jonquiere, 
who  had  succeeded  la  Galissoniere,  thought  immediately  of 
re-appointing  Laverendrye,  to  whom  public  recognition  had 
at  last  been  accorded  in  1746  by  his  tardy  promotion  to  a 
captaincy  in  the  colonial  service,  and,  that  same  year  (1749), 
by  a  knighthood  of  St.  Louis.  The  aged  explorer  accepted 
without  hesitation  and  prepared  his  plans,  but  instead  crossed 
the  great  threshold  of  eternity,  his  dream  unrealised.  He 
died  December  6,  1749,  and  was  interred  in  the  vault  of 
Notre  Dame,  at  Montreal. 

No  better  panegyric  of  the  great  discoverer  can  be  made 
than  to  transcribe  the  words  that  Governor  de  Beauhamois 
wrote  October  27,  1744,  to  the  French  Minister  of  Colonies: 
"  Six  years  of  service  in  France,  thirty-two  in  this  colony, 
without   any  cause  for  reproach,   and   nine  wounds,   were 


THE  LAVERENDRYES  19 

motives  that  could  not  make  me  hesitate  to  propose  him  for 
one  of  the  vacant  companies."^  Alas,  not  until  it  was  too 
late  had  the  king  and  his  ministers  "  been  brought  to  see 
the  purity  of  his  motives  and  the  genuineness  of  his 
patriotism."  ^ 

Laverendrye's  sons  would  have  liked  to  continue  and,  if 
possible,  to  accomplish  his  mission.  But  greed  had  to  be 
reckoned  with.  Le  Gardeur  de  St.  Pierre  was  appointed 
instead,  and  Chevalier  de  Niverville  was  sent  to  the  Sas- 
katchewan. The  latter  gentleman  established  Fort  La 
Jonquiere  (Calgary)  in  1751,  and,  it  is  believed,  died  at  Fort 
Poskoyac  in  1753.  In  August  1763,  Saint  Pierre  handed 
over  the  command  of  the  western  posts  to  Captain  Louis 
Luc  de  la  Corne  St.  Luc,  in  accordance  with  instructions  of 
the  Marquis  du  Quesne,  who  had  succeeded  La  Jonquiere  as 
governor  of  the  colony.'  De  la  Corne  had  been  in  the  west 
for  several  years:  in  1753  he  had  rebuilt  Fort  St.  Louis  and 
given  it  his  name,  which  is  in  existence  to  this  day.  The 
same  year  he  had  explored  the  Carrot  River  valley  and  the 
following  spring  (1754)  had  seeded  a  few  acres  of  land,  thereby 
deserving  to  be  called  the  first  agriculturist  of  the  Canadian 
West.  The  very  year  that  he  was  appointed  to  the  command 
of  the  posts,  however,  Canada  passed  under  the  rule  of 
England  and  with  him  the  explorations  of  the  French  came 
to  an  end.  It  was  these  explorations  which,  seventy  years 
ago,  threatened  to  create  international  trouble  by  giving 
rise  to  what  is  popularly  known  as  the  "  54-40  or  fight  " 
movement  across  the  border,  its  partisans  claiming  that  in 
the  Louisiana  bargain  the  United  States  had  acquired  from 
Napoleon  I.  all  the  territory  which  had  been  discovered  by 
the  French:  that  therefore  all  the  country  south  of  the 
Pigeon  River,  the  Saskatchewan  River,  and  the  latter's  north 
branch,  by  right  of  discovery  by  the  French,  belonged  to  the 
Union.  All  of  which  shows  that,  after  all,  England  was  wise 
to  placidly  ignore  all  attempts  aiming  at  the  cancellation  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  charter  which  purported  to  give 

'Margry,  op.  cit.  vol.  vi.  p.  597.  •  Burpee,  op.  cit.  p.  268. 

'  Burpee,  op.  cit.  p.  281. 


20  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

its  members  the  right  to  possession  of  all  the  territory  served 
by  rivers  flowing  into  Hudson  Bay,  and  the  lands  adjacent 
thereto  which  they  might  discover,  even  if  the  stupidity 
of  Captain  Gordon  was  to  result  in  the  loss  of  Oregon, 
which  had  been  jointly  occupied  by  the  Americans  and  the 
English. 


HENDRY  21 


CHAPTER  IV 

HENDRY — HEARNE 

Anthony  Hendry,  a  boy  from  the  Isle  of  Wight,  who  had 
been  outlawed  for  smuggling,  and  had  fled  to  the  bay,  where 
he  had  entered  the  service  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company, 
was,  according  to  Andrew  Graham  of  Severn,  who  made 
marginal  notes  on  the  young  fellow's  manuscript,  the  first 
Englishman  who  went  inland  and  saw  the  Saskatchewan 
River.  In  1754  he  received  the  permission  of  Governor 
James  Isham  of  York  Fort  to  accompany  a  band  of  Assini- 
boines,  under  the  command  of  Little  Deer,  to  their  country 
beyond  the  Great  Unknown  River.  They  started  on  June  26. 
The  trip  was  made  by  the  Hayes  River,  the  Nelson  River, 
Playgreen  Lake,  and  Moose  Lake.  The  Saskatchewan  was 
reached  at  Fort  Basquia,  where  French  traders  in  occupation 
of  the  fort  presumably  built  by  Laverendrye's  sons  and 
restored  by  de  la  Corne  received  the  traveller  from  Hudson 
Bay  courteously  and  gently,  although  expressing  the  inten- 
tion of  retaining  him  until  de  la  Corne  returned  from  Montreal. 
The  story  is  best  given  in  his  own  words:  "  On  our  arrival, 
two  Frenchmen  came  to  the  waterside  and  in  a  very  genteel 
manner  invited  me  into  their  home,  which  I  readily  accepted. 
One  of  them  asked  me  if  I  had  any  letter  from  my  master, 
and  where,  on  what  design  I  was  going  inland.  I  answered 
I  had  no  letter,  and  that  I  was  sent  to  view  the  country,  and 
intended  to  return  in  the  spring.  He  told  me  the  master  and 
men  were  gone  down  to  Montreal  with  the  furs,  and  that 
they  must  detain  me  till  their  return.  However,  they  were 
very  kind,  and  at  night  I  went  to  my  tent  and  told  Attickasish 
or  Little  Deer,  my  leader  that  had  the  charge  of  me,  who 
smiled  and  said  they  dared  not.  I  sent  them  two  feet  of 
tobacco,  which  was  very  acceptable  to  them."  * 
'  Burpee,  op.  cit.  p.  119  e/  seq. 


22  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

The  next  day  the  party  proceeded  south-west,  going 
through  Saskeram  Lake,  the  Pasquia  Hills,  and  the  Carrot 
River  valley  which  Hendry  calls  the  Muskuty  plains.  Fifty 
miles  up  that  stream  the  canoes  were  abandoned  and  the 
voyage  was  continued  by  land,  much  to  the  satisfaction  of 
the  Indians,  who  were  tired  of  fish  food,  and  hoped  to  soon 
be  able  to  kill  buffalo,  in  company  with  their  native  brothers, 
on  horseback.  They  met  the  first  bands  on  August  15;  five 
days  later  they  had  reached  the  South  Branch  of  the  Sas- 
katchewan, which  they  crossed  somewhere  about  Clark's 
Crossing,  and  three  days  later  the  North  Branch,  probably 
between  the  mouth  of  Eagle  Hill  Creek  and  the  Elbow.  On 
September  8,  Hendry  writes:  "  I  killed  a  bull  buffalo,  he  was 
nothing  but  skin  and  bones.  I  took  out  his  tongue  and  left 
the  remains  to  the  wolves,  which  were  waiting  around  in  great 
numbers.  We  cannot  afford  to  expend  ammunition  on  them. 
My  feet  are  swelled  with  marching,  but  otherwise  I  am  in 
perfect  health.  So  expert  are  the  natives  buffalo  hunting, 
they  will  take  an  arrow  out  of  the  buffalo  when  the  beasts  are 
foaming  and  raging  and  tearing  the  ground  up  with  their  feet 
and  horns.  The  buffalo  are  so  numerous,  like  herds  of  English 
cattle,  that  we  are  obliged  tomake  them  sheer  out  of  our  way."  ^ 
The  Indian  companions  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's 
man  were  killing  quite  a  number  each  day,  keeping  the  best 
portions  and  throwing  the  rest  to  the  wolves. 

Other  big  game  was  also  found,  and  on  September  17 
Hendry  writes:  "  Two  yoiing  men  were  miserably  wounded 
by  a  grizzly  bear  that  they  were  hunting  to-day.  One  may 
recover,  but  the  other  never  can.  His  arm  is  torn  from  his 
body,  one  eye  gouged  out,  and  his  stomach  ripped  open."  ^ 

Hendry's  party  were  now  three  hundred  miles  south-west 
of  the  Pas:  "  I  cannot  describe  the  fineness  of  the  weather 
and  the  pleasant  country  I  am  now  in."  ^  He  was  then  in  the 
country  of  the  Blackfeet,  about  the  Red  Deer  River,  in 
modem  Alberta.  On  October  14  he  was  taken  to  the  main 
tribe  of  these  Indians,  occupying  three  hundred  and  twenty- 

1  Laut,  op.  cit.  vol.  i.  p.  343.  ^  Laut,  op.  cit.  vol.  i.  p.  343. 

^  Laut,  op.  cit.  vol.  i.  p.  344. 


HENDRY  23 

two  tents,  "  pitched  in  two  rows  with  an  opening  in  the  middle, 
where  we  were  conducted  to  the  leader's  tent.  The  leader's 
tent  was  large  enough  to  contain  fifty  persons.  He  received 
us  seated  on  a  buffalo  skin  attended  by  twenty  elderly  men. 
He  made  signs  for  me  to  sit  down  on  his  right  hand,  which  I 
did.  Our  leaders  set  several  great  pipes  going  the  rounds, 
and  we  smoked  according  to  their  custom.  Not  one  word 
was  spoken.  Smoking  over,  boiled  buffalo  flesh  was  served 
in  baskets  of  bent  wood.  I  was  presented  with  ten  buffalo 
tongues.  My  guide  informed  the  leader  I  was  sent  by  the 
grand  leader  who  lives  on  the  great  waters  to  invite  his 
young  men  down  with  their  furs.  They  would  receive  in 
return  powder,  shot,  guns,  and  cloth.  He  made  little  answer: 
said  it  was  far  off  and  his  people  could  not  paddle.  We  were 
then  ordered  to  depart  to  our  tents,  which  we  pitched  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  outside  their  lines."  ^  And  the  next  day: 
"  The  chief  told  me  his  tribe  never  wanted  food  as  they  fol- 
lowed the  buffalo,  but  he  was  informed  the  natives  who 
frequented  the  settlements  often  starved  on  their  journey, 
which  was  exceedingly  true."  ^ 

Resuming  their  journey,  Hendry  and  his  Assiniboine  friends 
turned  north-west,  and  by  the  end  of  November,  according 
to  a  note  of  Andrew  Graham  on  the  margin  of  the  journal, 
were  roaming  over  the  Peace  River  or  Lake  Athabasca  country 
by  59  degrees,  although  it  is  not  likely  that  they  were  further 
north  than  the  district  between  the  present  Edmonton  and 
Battleford,  as  nowhere  is  it  shown  that  they  crossed  any  river 
of  the  importance  of  the  North  Saskatchewan  again.  The 
whole  winter  of  1754-55  was  spent  in  this  way.  In  the  mean- 
time Hendry  had  decided  a  goodly  number  of  his  native 
companions  to  fetch  their  furs  down  to  York,  and  by  spring 
several  tribes  joined  him  for  that  purpose.  Having  dis- 
played his  flag  in  honour  of  St.  George  on  April  23,  he  made 
ready  the  same  evening  to  return  east.  He  could  not  leave, 
however,  until  the  28th,  on  which  day  the  ice  having  com- 
pletely cleared  the  Red  Deer  River  to  which  he  had  returned, 
he  launched  his  canoe  and  paddled  down  stream  towards  the 

'  Laut,  op.  cit.  vol.  i.  p.  346.  »  Laut,  op.  cit.  vol.  i.  p.  346. 


24  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Saskatchewan  which  he  soon  reached,  following  it  constantly 
afterwards.  On  May  23  he  was  at  Fort  a  la  Come,  a  subor- 
dinate establishment  to  Basquia  or  Pasquia.  "It  is  sur- 
prising," writes  Hendry,  "  what  an  influence  the  French  have 
over  the  natives.  I  am  certain  he  (the  officer  in  charge)  hath 
got  1000  of  the  richest  skins."  Apparently  the  Frenchmen 
had  secured  the  best  furs  from  Hendry's  Indians,  and  he  had 
been  unable  to  stop  the  bargain  taking  place.  Six  days 
later,  he  arrived  at  the  Pas.  De  la  Corne  had  returned,  and 
Hendry  was  royally  treated  by  him:  but  four  days  later, 
when  the  little  fleet  left  for  York  Fort,  the  canoes  contained 
nothing  but  the  heavy  furs:  de  la  Corne  and  his  men  had 
secured  what  was  left  of  the  best.  Following  the  same  route 
as  in  his  outward  journey,  he  reached  York  Fort  on  June  20, 
1755,  having  been  absent  six  days  short  of  one  year. 

The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  voted  Hendry  ;^20  gratuity 
for  his  voyage,  but  would  not  allow  him  to  return  inland. 
They  even  ridiculed  certain  parts  of  his  reports :  having  never 
heard  of  Indians  on  horseback  they  would  not  believe  that 
he  had  seen  them.  "  They  objected  being  told  what  they 
did  not  know.  .  .  .  He  quit  the  service  in  disgust."  ^ 

The  company  believed  enough  of  Hendry's  story,  however, 
to  understand  that  the  French  were  taking  possession  of  the 
country  south  of  the  bay,  as  well  as  of  the  fur  trade  with  the 
Indians  of  those  regions.  Asked  by  the  young  explorer  to 
come  and  trade  with  the  English  at  York  Fort  most  of  the 
natives  that  he  had  met  had  told  him  that  they  were  satis- 
factorily served  by  the  French  at  the  Pas,  and  had  refused 
to  travel  500  miles  further  north  to  deal  with  new  traders. 
Moses  Norton,  the  half-Indian  governor  of  Churchill,  knew 
that  even  if  the  French  were  already  on  the  Saskatchewan, 
north  of  this  river  there  was  an  immense  domain  which  so 
far  had  been  touched  by  no  white  man.  The  company  knew 
from  the  Chippewyan  Indians  that  minerals  abounded  in 
the  north,  since  they  wore  rough  copper  ornaments  or  used 
divers  utensils  made  with  that  metal.  An  effort  should  be 
made  to  discover  whence  came  the  material  out  of  which 
^  Laut,  op.  cit.  vol.  i.  p.  352. 


HEARNE  25 

these  objects  were  made.  The  North-West  Passage,  which 
had  been  so  long  sought  by  sea,  should  now  be  sought  by- 
land.  And  so  Samuel  Hearne,  a  mate  of  one  of  the  company's 
sloops  trading  with  the  Eskimo,  was  commissioned  in  1769 
for  an  expedition  to  the  new  Promised  Land.  The  adver- 
tised object  of  the  journey  was  to  find  and  determine  the 
course  of  the  far-off  Metal  River,  as  the  Indians  called  what 
was  to  be  known  later  as  the  Coppermine  River,  and  settle 
once  for  all  the  vexed  question  of  the  existence  of  a  North- 
West  Passage:  in  reality,  it  is  permissible  to  believe  that 
the  main  purpose  was  to  investigate  a  new  field  for  the  fur 
trade. 

Equipped  with  instruments,  ammunition,  and  supplies  for 
two  years,  Hearne  left  Churchill,  under  salute  of  seven  cannon, 
on  November  6,  1769,  accompanied  by  two  English  volunteers, 
two  Cree  Indian  guides,  and  a  party  of  Chippewyans  or 
Northern  Indians.  His  provisions  having  been  plundered 
by  his  native  associates  before  he  had  travelled  200  miles, 
he  had  to  turn  back,  reaching  the  fort  with  his  two  white 
companions  December  11. 

The  plucky  explorer  set  forth  again  with  a  smaller  party 
of  Indians  and  no  white  men  on  Februar}^  23,  1770.  This 
time  he  reached  the  Kazan  River  by  about  63°  2'  north  on 
June  30,  and  the  northern  end  of  Dubawnt  Lake  by  the  end 
of  July.  At  this  point  his  guides  remonstrated  with  him 
about  the  impossibility  of  travelling  further  north  that 
summer,  and  he  had  almost  decided  to  winter  with  them. 
They,  however,  again  plundered  his  store:  added  to  this  a 
gust  of  wind  destroyed  his  quadrant :  there  was  nothing  left 
for  the  unfortunate  Englishman  but  to  return  a  second  time 
to  Churchill,  his  mission  still  unfinished. 

He  reached  the  fort  November  25.  Two  weeks  later, 
December  7,  the  courageous  young  man  made  a  fresh  start. 
On  his  way  back  to  the  fort  he  had  met  and  formed  a  friend- 
ship with  a  famous  Chippewyan  chief  named  Matonabbee  who 
asked  to  accompany  him  and  suggested  to  take  a  few  squaws 
with  the  party,  as  they  were  better  accustomed  to  work  and 
economy   than  the  men.      On   December  30  they   reached 


26  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Nueltin  Lake;  on  February  6  they  were  on  the  Kazan  River 
and  three  days  later  at  Kasba  Lake.  They  crossed  Snowbird 
Lake  on  February  21,  camped  on  Wholdaia  Lake  on  March  2, 
and  reached  Clowey  Lake  in  May.  There  they  were  joined 
by  200  Indians  who,  in  spite  of  Hearne,  decided  to  accompany 
the  little  party.  After  a  month  of  rest,  a  dash  for  the  Copper- 
mine River  across  the  barren  lands  was  made.  Peshew  Lake 
was  reached  May  30,  Kum  Lake  June  20.  They  were  now 
well  within  the  arctic  circle  as  there  was  no  night.  Two  days 
later  the  party  met  the  Copper  Indians  with  whom  the  calumet 
of  peace  was  smoked.  Leaving  the  women  behind,  the  men 
pushed  on,  passed  through  a  snow-storm  on  July  6,  which 
made  several  Indians  turn  back,  reached  Grizzly  Bear  HiU 
two  days  later,  on  the  12th  crossed  a  branch  of  the  Copper- 
mine, and  the  next  day  came  to  the  main  river  40  miles  from 
its  mouth.  On  July  16,  to  Hearne's  horror,  the  Chippewyans, 
who  had  discovered  an  encampment  of  Eskimo,  made  a  whole- 
sale massacre  of  the  poor  natives,  refusing  to  yield  to  his 
pleadings.  "  The  poor,  unhappy  victims,"  writes  Hearne, 
"  were  surprised  in  the  midst  of  their  sleep,  and  had  neither 
time  nor  power  to  make  any  resistance;  men,  women,  and 
children,  in  all  upwards  of  twenty,  ran  out  of  their  tents 
stark  naked,  and  endeavoured  to  make  their  escape;  but  the 
Indians  having  possession  of  all  the  land  side,  to  no  place 
could  they  fly  for  shelter.  One  alternative  only  remained: 
that  of  jmnping  into  the  river;  but,  as  none  of  them  at- 
tempted it,  they  all  fell  a  victim  to  Indian  barbarity."^  The 
site,  which  was  visited  by  Franklin  in  1821  and  Hanbury  in 
1899,  to  this  day  is  known  as  the  Bloody  Fall.  The  massacre 
haunted  Hearne  the  rest  of  his  life,  although  he  was  not 
responsible  for  it,  and  had  done  all  in  his  power  to  stop  it. 
Not  even  his  friend  Matonabbee  would  yield  to  his  prayers 
and  his  tears. 

The  next  day,  July  17,  Hearne  stood  on  the  shores  of  the 
Arctic  Ocean  at  the  mouth  of  the  Coppermine  River,  "  the  first 

1  Burpee,  op.  cit.  p.  150.  "This  wanton  massacre  had  such  an 
effect  upon  the  Eskimo  that  when  David  T.  Hanburj?  visited  the 
Coppermine  in  1899  it  was  still  talked  of." — Ihid.  p.  151. 


HEARNE  27 

white  man  to  witness  the  tossing  ice  floes  of  that  green,  lone, 
paleocrystic  sea."^ 

After  erecting  a  mark  to  take  formal  possession  of  the 
country  on  behalf  of  the  company  which  he  was  representing, 
Hearne  on  July  18  retreated  up  the  Coppermine  River 
about  twenty  miles,  to  examine  the  much-talked-of  copper 
mines.  These  were  rather  disappointing,  being  "  nothing 
but  a  jumble  of  rocks  and  gravel  ":  a  piece  of  ore  weighing 
about  four  pounds  he  brought  back  with  him  to  Fort 
Churchill. 

Retracing  his  course  as  far  as  Cogeal  Lake,  Hearne  turned 
south  by  west,  reaching,  on  December  24,  Great  Slave  Lake 
which  he  crossed  in  the  vicinity  of  Reindeer  Islands;  on  the 
south  shore  he  found  vast  herds  of  buffalo.  In  February 
he  was  in  the  Dubawnt  country,  on  March  19  passed  Large 
Pike  Lake,  on  April  7  crossed  the  Theleaza  River.  On  May  11 
the  party  camped  on  a  river  supposed  to  empty  into  Dubawnt 
Lake.  The  snow  shoes  were  discarded  and  the  journey  home 
was  continued  by  canoe:  May  30  saw  the  expedition  on  the 
Kazan  River.  On  June  26  they  reached  Seal  River  and  four 
days  later  they  were  home  at  Fort  Churchill.  The  trip  had 
lasted  a  little  over  eighteen  months. 

The  North-West  Passage  had  not  been  discovered,  but 
instead  a  region  half  the  size  of  modern  Russia.  "  The 
continent  of  America,"  writes  Hearne,  "  is  much  wider  than 
many  people  imagine,  particularly  Robson,  who  thought  that 
the  Pacific  Ocean  was  but  a  few  days'  journey  from  the  west 
coast  of  Hudson's  Bay.  This,  however,  is  so  far  from  being 
the  case  that  when  I  was  at  my  greatest  western  distance, 
upward  of  500  miles  from  Prince  of  Wales  Fort,  the  natives, 
my  guides,  well  knew  that  many  tribes  of  Indians  lay  to  the 
west  of  us,  and  they  knew  no  end  to  the  land  in  that  direction, 
nor  have  I  met  with  any  Indians,  either  northern  or  southern, 
that  ever  had  seen  the  sea  to  the  westward."  But  speaking 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  about  which  Indians  whom  he  had 
met  had  told  him,  he  adds:  "  Beyond  those  mountains  all 
rivers  run  to  the  westward." 

*  Laut,  op.  cit.  vol.  i.  p.  373. 


28  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

After  voting  their  plucky  explorer  a  substantial  present 
in  currency  and  assuring  him  the  promotion  of  governor  at 
the  death  of  Norton,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  hastened  to 
organise  and  occupy  the  newly  discovered  territory,  before 
the  Montreal  merchants,  who  had  filled  the  forts  on  the 
Saskatchewan  abandoned  in  1763  by  the  successors  of  Laveren- 
drye,  could  have  time  to  penetrate  so  far  north. 

Directly  after  the  cession  of  Canada  to  England,  British 
traders  had  begun  to  move  west.  As  early  as  1761  Alexander 
Henry  had  reached  Fort  Michilimakinac,  and  a  few  years 
later  had  been  on  the  Assiniboine  and  the  Saskatchewan 
trading  with  the  Indians  almost  simultaneously  with  James 
Finlay  and  Thomas  Curry.  The  "  Bourgeois  du  Nord-Ouest," 
as  they  were  called  in  Montreal,  were  therefore  seriously 
threatening  the  supremacy  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  in 
a  country  which  it  was  wont  to  claim  as  its  sole  domain.  In 
May  1773  it  was  decided  to  send  Samuel  Hearne  to  establish  a 
fort  at  Basquia  on  the  Saskatchewan  River  to  counteract 
"  the  interruptions  to  the  trade  from  the  Canadian  pedlars." 
Hearne,  instead  of  stopping  and  establishing  his  post  at  the 
Pas,  went  further  up  the  river  and  built  Cumberland  House 
on  Pine  Island  Lake,  also  called  Pigeon  Lake,  within 
500  yards  of  the  fort  built  in  1772  by  Thomas  and  Joseph 
Frobisher,  two  other  merchants  from  Montreal.  Hearne 
had  immediately  noticed  that  this  was  a  strategic  point  of 
first  importance;  situated,  as  it  was,  where  all  watercourses 
connected  with  the  Churchill  River,  it  commanded  the  ap- 
proaches to  and  from  the  four  points  of  the  compass.  There 
and  then  began  the  well-known  conflict,  bloody  at  times, 
between  the  old  company  and  its  competitors,  the  Montreal 
merchants.  The  building  of  Cmnberland  House  was  "  to 
become  a  thorn  in  the  flesh  of  the  Canadian  traders  and  the 
turning-point  in  the  career  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 
Had  they  continued  to  remain  inactive  on  the  shores  of  the 
bay,  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  North- West  Company  would 
before  long  have  wrested  from  them  the  entire  fur  trade  of 
the  great  west.  The  establishment  of  Cumberland  House, 
and   the   consequent   acceptance   of   the   policy   of  interior 


HEARNE  29 

trading  posts,  gave  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  a  new  lease 
of  life."  1 

In  1775  Hearne,  having  been  appointed  governor  of  Fort 
Churchill,  returned  to  the  bay.  In  1782  he  surrendered  it  to 
the  French  Admiral  La  Perouse  without  offering  a  semblance 
of  resistance,  in  spite  of  the  thick  walls,  heavy  bastions,  and 
numerous  cannon  with  which  it  was  protected.  La  Perouse 
tried  to  pull  down  the  ramparts,  but  had  to  finally  resort  to 
mine  to  destroy  them.  Mr.  J.  W.  Tyrrell,  who  visited  the 
ruins  on  November  3,  1893,  thus  depicts  his  impressions: 
"  Not  a  tree  or  other  sign  of  life  could  be  seen  on  the  long,  low, 
snow-driven  point  of  rock,  but  there  in  all  its  solitary,  massive 
grandeur  stood  the  remains  of  what  had  more  than  100  years 
ago  been  a  noble  fortress. 

"  The  construction  of  this  fortification,  which  appears  to 
have  been  planned  by  the  English  engineer,  Joseph  Robson, 
was  commenced  in  the  year  1743  by  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  which  was  then,  as  now,  carrying  on  fur-trading 
business  in  northern  Canada.  So  large  and  expensive  a 
fortification  was  built,  probably,  not  so  much  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  company's  interests  as  for  the  purpose  of  complying 
with  a  provision  of  its  Royal  Charter,  which  required  that  the 
country  should  be  fortified. 

"  The  building  of  the  fort  appears  to  have  been  carried  on 
for  many  years  under  the  direction  of  the  famous  Samuel 
Hearne,  already  referred  to  as  having  traversed  the  Barren 
Lands  to  the  mouth  of  the  Coppermine  River.  In  a  stone 
barrack  within  the  fort,  Hearne  lived  and  carried  on  business 
for  many  years. 

"  The  fortress  was  in  the  form  of  a  square,  with  sides  316 
feet  long;  at  the  corners  were  bastions,  and  on  top  of  the 
massive  stone  walls,  20  feet  in  height  by  30  feet  in  thickness 
at  the  base,  were  mounted  forty-two  guns.  With  such  a 
defence  one  would  suppose  that  Churchill  should  have  been 
safe  from  attacking  foes,  but  this  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
the  case,  for  history  informs  us  that  on  August  8,  1782,  the 
gallant  La  P6rouse  and  his  three  vessels  of  war,  with,  it  is 
'  Burpee,  op.  cit.  p.  162  et  seq. 


30  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

said,  naught  but  scurvy-smitten  crews,  made  their  appearance 
before  the  much-amazed  garrison  of  thirty-nine  men,  and 
demanded  an  unconditional  surrender,  which  was  granted 
without  resistance,  and  the  gates  of  the  great  stone  fort  thrown 
open  to  the  invaders.  Taking  possession,  they  spiked  and 
dismounted  the  guns,  in  places  broke  down  the  walls,  burned 
the  barracks,  and  sailed  away  to  France  with  Heame,  his  men, 
and  all  their  valuable  furs.^ 

"As  La  Perouse  left  the  fort  so  did  we  find  it.  For  the 
most  part  the  walls  were  still  solid,  though  from  between 
their  great  blocks  of  granite  the  mortar  was  crumbling.  The 
guns  spiked  and  dismounted  were  still  to  be  seen  lying  about 
on  the  ramparts  and  among  the  fallen  masonry.  In  the 
bastions,  all  of  which  were  still  standing,  were  to  be  seen  the 
remains  of  wells  and  magazines,  and  in  the  centre  of  the  fort 
stood  the  walls  of  the  old  building  in  which  Hearne  and  his 
men  had  lived.  The  charred  ends  of  roof-beams  were  still 
attached  to  its  walls,  where  undecayed  they  had  rested  for 
the  past  III  years."  2 

*  Not  before  also  taking  York  on  August  2 1 ,  in  spite  of  the  follow- 
ing note  on  a  small  cannon  located  in  the  museum  portion  of  the 
Winnipeg  Industrial  Bureau,  reading  thus:  "Old  cannon,  loaned  by- 
Mr.  F.  K.  Herchmer.  Dug  out  of  the  bottom  of  the  Saskatchewan 
River  near  Cumberland  at  very  low  water.  Supposed  to  have  been 
used  by  the  French  adventurer  (sic)  La  Perouse  when  he  made  an  un- 
successful (sic)  attempt  to  capture  York  after  taking  Fort  Prince  of 
Wales,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Churchill  River."  Yet  Umfreville,  who 
was  among  the  captured,  had  written:  "  The  English  governor  sur- 
rendered without  firing  a  gun."  And  this  is  how  history  is  written  in 
some  quarters! 

*  Across  the  Sub-Arctics  of  Canada,  p.  199  et  seq. 


hr  ^ 


"<  5  Si 


y.    ^ 


THE  NORTH-WEST  COMPANY  31 

CHAPTER  V 

THE   NORTH-WEST  COMPANY — MACKENZIE — HENRY 

The  first  important  organisation  formed  to  oppose  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  in  its  supposed  monopoly  of  the  fur 
trade  in  the  Hudson  Bay  territory  was  called  the  North-West 
Company;  the  founder  was  Simon  M'Tavish.  Born  in  the 
Highlands  of  Scotland  in  1750,  he  was  a  man  of  "  enormous 
energy  and  decision  of  character."^  From  Montreal,  he 
engaged  in  the  fur  trade  immediately  after  the  cession  of 
Canada  to  England,  and  soon,  with  the  Frobisher  brothers, 
formed  a  combination  which  was  later  joined  by  John  Gregory, 
William  M'Gillivary\  Roderick  Mackenzie,  Angus  Shaw, 
Cuthbert  Grant,  Alexander  M'Leod,  and  William  Thorburn, 
who  had  previously  been  in  the  north-west  as  independent 
fur  traders.  The  pourparlers  which  were  commenced  in 
1783-84  resulted  in  1795  in  the  formation  of  the  North- West 
Company.  In  1804,  at  the  death  of  M'Tavish,  better  known 
among  his  partners  as  Le  Marquis,  the  organisation  had  been 
completed  on  such  an  important  basis  that  it  had  posts  all 
the  way  from  the  Missouri  to  the  Saskatchewan  and  the  Peace 
River  country,  and  even  on  Hudson  Bay  and  the  lower  St. 
Lawrence. 

M'Tavish,  however,  had  become  quite  unpopular  among  a 
number  of  the  partners  on  account  of  his  dominating  person- 
ality, and  the  same  year  as  the  North-West  Company  had  been 
definitely  organised  in  1795,  the  malcontents  had  formed  a 
company  of  their  own,  known,  in  the  annals  of  the  fur  trade, 
as  the  X-Y  Company.  The  backbone  of  the  new  concern 
was  the  powerful  Montreal  firm  of  Forsyth,  Richardson  and 
Company,  and  its  leading  spirit,  although  not  a  partner  himself 
until  1801,  was  young  Alexander  Mackenzie,  the  explorer  to 
be  of  the  Mackenzie  River.  The  X-Y  Company  followed  the 
^  Bryce,  op.  cit.  p.  ii6. 


32  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

North-West  Company  into  every  district  where  the  latter 
had  established  posts  in  Rupert's  Land.  On  the  death  of 
M'Tavish,  all  enmities  disappeared  and  a  union  took  place 
under  the  leadership  of  Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  work  to  tell  the  reader  about 
the  fur  trade,  of  which  he  has  no  doubt  had  occasion  to  read 
considerably  if  he  has  taken  the  least  interest  in  obtaining 
information  about  Western  Canada,  but  rather  in  these  first 
chapters  to  post  him,  in  as  few  words  as  possible,  as  far  as  its 
early  history  is  concerned,  about  the  journeys  and  discoveries 
made  in  the  days  of  the  fur  companies  by  members  of  those 
companies.  Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie,  Alexander  Henry  the 
younger,  and  David  Thompson,  for  this  reason,  deserve  to 
retain  our  attention  for  a  few  pages. 

In  1763  was  born  at  Stornoway,^  in  the  Island  of  Lewis  on 
the  west  coast  of  Scotland,  a  child  who  was  destined  to  give 
his  name  to  one  of  the  largest  rivers  on  the  American  conti- 
nent, Alexander  Mackenzie.  He  came  to  Canada  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  and  entered  the  fur  trade  with  John  Gregory 
and  Alexander  Norman  M'Leod.  His  first  journey  was  to 
Detroit,  where  his  employers,  having  remarked  his  keenness 
and  daring,  had  sent  him  to  guide  a  trading  party.  In  1785 
he  became  a  shareholder  in  the  company,  set  out  for  the  west 
and  joined  his  cousin  Roderick  Mackenzie  in  the  English 
(Churchill)  River  district  to  help  him  against  one  of  the 
greatest  men  of  the  North-West  Company  in  full  course  of 
organisation,  William  M'Gillivary.  Instead,  he  had  to  take 
charge  of  the  Athabasca  district  assigned  to  him  when,  after 
Pond's  murder  of  John  Ross,  it  had  been  found  necessary  to 
join  the  two  elements  which  were  trading  in  those  regions 
besides  the  great  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  He  was  then 
twenty-four  years  of  age.  He  at  once  decided  to  push  out 
agents  north  of  Lake  Athabasca,  in  the  Great  Slave  Lake  and 
Peace  River  districts:  Leroux  and  Boyer  were  the  men  who 
accepted  the  mission. 

'  And  not  Inverness  as  all  encyclopaedias  have  it.  The  explorer's 
grandson  himself  furnished  the  correct  information  to  Dr.  George 
Bryce. — The  Makers  of  Canada,  vol.  v.  pt.  i.  p.  10. 


MACKENZIE  33 

But  even  the  life  of  a  fur  trader  seemed  too  monotonous 
for  the  young  Bourgeois.^  He  decided  his  cousin  Roderick, 
who  had  returned  to  Lake  Superior,  to  join  him,  and  with  his 
help  built,  in  1789,  Fort  Chippewyan  on  the  south  side  of 
Lake  Athabasca.  By  this  time  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to 
imitate  Hearne,  of  whom  he  had  heard,  and  to  make  a  dash 
for  the  Arctic  Ocean,  but  by  another  route  than  the  Copper- 
mine. The  Indians  had  told  him  of  a  river  as  vast  as  the 
Saskatchewan :  this  he  would  follow. 

He  left  on  Wednesday,  June  3,  1789.  He  had  with  him 
four  French  Canadians,  two  of  whom  were  accompanied 
by  their  wives.  They  were  Francois  Barrieau  or  Beriault, 
Charles  Doucette,  Joseph  Landry,  and  Pierre  Delorme.  The 
little  party  crossed  Athabasca  Lake  and  the  next  day  reached 
the  Peace  River,  at  the  spot  where  it  changes  its  name  to 
that  of  the  Slave  River.  After  running  the  upper  rapids  and 
portaging  at  theDecharge,  d'Embarras,  Mountain,  and  Pelican, 
besides  a  number  of  smaller  falls,  "  boiling  caldrons  and  whirl- 
ing eddies,"  they  reached  Great  Slave  Lake  on  June  9,  having 
covered  272  miles  in  less  than  a  week.  Having  taken  a  well- 
deserved  rest,  and  had  a  conference  with  the  Yellow  Knife 
Indians,  Mackenzie  left  on  June  25  for  the  north,  under  the 
leadership  of  a  Yellow  Knife  guide.  On  June  30  they 
were  on  the  Mackenzie  River,  going  westward,  with  the 
Horn  Mountains  in  sight  on  their  left,  and  on  July  i  met  the 
Slave  and  Dog-Rib  Indians  who  told  them  fabulous  stories 
about  the  river  which  they  were  to  explore.  On  July  2  they 
sighted  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  next  day  camped  at 
the  foot  of  "  The  Rock  by  the  River  Side."  On  the  5th  they 
passed  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Bear  River  and  its  sea-green 
coloured  water.  New  races  of  Indians  were  now  met:  the 
Hares,  the  Quarellers,  etc.  On  the  loth  Mackenzie  found 
that  he  had  reached  67°  47'  north  latitude.  The  natives 
informed  him  he  was  close  to  the  sea.  This  was  sighted  on 
July  12,  and  almost  reached  two  days  later,  July  14.  On 
July  16  the  discoverer  laconically  remarks  in  his  journal  that 
they  turned  back.     Why  the  expedition  should  have  turned 

»  Nickname  given  to  the  partners  of  the  fur  companies  of  Montreal. 

C 


34  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

back  when  only  a  few  miles  remained  to  travel  to  be  on  tide 
water  has  never  been  satisfactorily  explained. 

The  party  started  on  its  return  voyage  on  July  i6.  The 
only  point  of  Mackenzie's  narrative  which  need  stop  our 
attention  is  that  on  August  2,  when  passing  the  mouth  of 
the  Bear  River,  the  explorer  noticed  that  the  opposite  side  was 
on  fire:  it  had  been  burning  before  him,  and  in  all  probabihty 
is  still  burning  to-day,  since  in  1906  R.  C.  M'Connell,  in  his 
exploration  in  Yukon  and  Mackenzie  basins,  reports  the  same 
fact.  It  is  supposed  that  the  coal  or  lignite  takes  fire  spon- 
taneously on  exposure  to  moist  air.  They  reached  Mountain 
River  on  August  14,  the  entrance  to  Great  Slave  Lake  on 
August  20,  and  Fort  Chippewyan  on  September  12.  The  whole 
journey  had  taken  102  days  for  3000  miles. 

The  fears  of  his  guides  and  the  obstacles  of  nature  had  not 
been  able  to  deter  the  young  explorer  one  moment  from  his 
undertaking.  It  is  true  that  he  did  not  actually  reach  the 
Arctic  Ocean,  but  he  did  enough  to  ascertain  the  course  of  the 
river  to  which  he  gave  his  name  and  assure  himself,  by 
observations  and  from  conferences  with  the  Indians,  that  there 
was  much  more  land  to  discover  before  the  Western  Sea  was 
reached. 

After  a  voyage  to  Europe  to  perfect  his  scientific  knowledge 
and  to  purchase  suitable  instruments,  Mackenzie,  on  October 
10,  1792,  set  out  for  his  second  and  more  important  journey 
of  discovery  by  way  of  the  Peace  River  on  which  he  had 
founded  the  Old  Establishment  in  1788,  now  in  charge  of 
Boyer.  Of  the  six  French  Canadians  who  accompanied  him 
on  this  trip,  two  had  gone  with  him  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Mackenzie  River. 

The  party  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  Smoky  River  on 
November  i.  There  it  was  decided  to  build  winter  quarters: 
these  were  completed  for  Christmas.  As  soon  as  spring 
opened,  Mackenzie  sent  back,  laden  with  the  furs  gathered  in 
the  winter,  six  canoes  with  as  many  men  as  he  could  spare  to 
man  them. 

He  and  the  other  members  of  the  little  troop  left  for  the 
unknown  west  on  May  9,  1793:   the  same  day  they  learned 


MACKENZIE  35 

from  a  band  of  Indians  which  they  met  that  in  ten  days  they 
would  be  at  the  foot  of  the  Rocky  Mountains :  they  actually 
came  in  view  of  these  eight  days  later.  At  the  same  time  the 
first  caiion  on  the  river  was  reached,  and  it  was  found  neces- 
sary to  portage  canoes,  provisions,  and  other  supplies  for 
three  leagues.  On  the  last  day  of  the  month  they  reached 
the  forks  of  the  river.  Turning  up  the  south  branch  or 
Parsnip  River,  the  following  day  they  passed  the  mouth  of 
the  Nation  River  and  that  of  the  Pack  River.  On  June  9 
two  Sikamis  Indians  made  friends  with  the  explorers  and 
furnished  them  with  considerable  information  about  the 
river  to  which  they  were  to  portage  to  reach  the  ocean :  one 
of  the  two  natives  was  induced  to  guide  the  party,  but  it 
was  soon  found  that  he  knew  very  little  to  act  in  this  capacity. 
Three  days  later  Mackenzie  and  his  companions  were  at  the 
source  of  the  Parsnip,  which  the  explorer  mistook  for  "  the 
highest  and  southernmost  source  of  the  Peace  River,"  which 
is  to  be  found  instead  at  the  headwaters  of  the  Finlay  River. 
A  small  portage  of  817  paces  was  sufficient  to  take  the  party 
to  the  Fraser  River:  this  was  the  "  great  divide  "  between 
the  two  river  systems  of  the  Arctic  and  the  Pacific. 

Coming  down  the  river,  the  party  passed  the  mouth  of  the 
Nechaco  River  without  seeing  it.  On  June  21  they  met  a 
band  of  Carrier  Indians  who  informed  them  that  they  should 
have  followed  another  small  river  farther  up  to  reach  the 
Western  Sea,  as  the  river  they  were  on  emptied  into  the 
ocean  considerably  to  the  south,  also  that  they  were  six 
days'  march  from  the  sea  overland:  Mackenzie  immediately 
decided  upon  the  dash  across  the  country.  Having  cached 
part  of  their  provisions,  the  explorer  and  his  men  set  out  on 
the  last  lap  of  the  journey  to  the  sea,  over  hill  and  vale, 
through  woods  and  sAvamps,  on  July  4.  Two  days  later  they 
fell  in  with  the  great  road  to  the  sea  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
Blackwater  River,  which  they  crossed  on  the  loth.  On  the 
17th  the  Bella  Coola  was  reached  and,  with  the  help  of  friendly 
coast  Indians  who  placed  their  canoes  and  themselves  at 
their  service,  three  days  later  the  small  expedition  at  last 
found  itself  on  salt  water. 


36  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Continuing  his  journey  along  the  coast  for  two  days, 
Mackenzie  arrived  at  Vancouver's  cascade  canal:  with  a 
mixture  of  vermilion  and  melted  grease  he  wrote  the  memor- 
able date  on  a  rock:  "  Alexander  Mackenzie  from  Canada, 
by  land,  22  July,  1793." 

Returning  home  by  the  same  road,  he  reached  Fort  Chippe- 
wyan  on  August  24.  The  journey  had  lasted  318  days.  Of 
the  difficulties  of  the  trip,  of  the  terror  expressed  time  and 
again  by  Mackenzie's  voyageurs,  of  the  many  dangers  of 
destruction  by  the  native  tribes,  although  nothing  has 
been  said  here,  it  would  be  incorrect  to  think  that  such 
did  not  exist.  On  the  contrary,  when  reading  thfough 
the  narrative  of  Canada's  greatest  explorer  one  is  amazed 
at  the  decision  and  fortitude  which  made  him  surmount 
the  greatest  hardships  and  sustain  his  companions 
through  the  worst  trials  that  imagination  can  picture  to 
itself. 

"  From  the  wider  standpoint,  knowledge  was  supplied  as 
to  the  country  lying  between  the  two  great  oceans,  and  while 
it  did  not,  as  we  know  from  the  voyages  seeking  a  North- 
West  Passage  in  this  century,  lay  the  grim  spectre  of  an 
Arctic  channel,  yet  it  was  a  fulfihnent  of  Verendrye's  dream, 
and  to  Alexander  Mackenzie,  a  Canadian  bourgeois,  a  self- 
made  man,  aided  by  his  Scotch  and  French  associates,  had 
come  the  happy  opportunity  of  discovering  '  La  Grande 
Mer  de  I'Ouest.'  "  ^ 

The  distinguished  discoverer  returned  to  his  native  land 
in  1795,  and  there  wrote  the  tale  of  his  stupendous  achieve- 
ments :  his  book  was  published  in  1801.  A  copy  was  smuggled 
into  France  at  the  bid  of  Napoleon  I. 

After  a  few  years'  public  hfe  in  Lower  Canada,  where  he 
had  returned,  he  moved  again  to  Scotland,  where  he  died  on 
March  12,  1820,  at  Mulnain  in  Perthshire. 

As  to  Alexander  Henry ,^  he  had  been  in  the  service  of  the 

North- West  Company  since  1792.     In  1799  he  went  up  from 

Montreal  by  the  usual  canoe  route  to  the  west  side  of  Lake 

Manitoba,  and  for  nine  years  made  several  trips  between 

1  Bryce,  op.  cit.  p.  131.  ^  The  younger. 


HENRY  37 

Lake  Superior  and  Pembina,  where  he  had  erected  a  fort. 
It  was  in  May  1808  that  Henry  turned  his  face  toward  the 
Saskatchewan.  Leaving  the  mouth  of  the  Red  River  in 
August,  he  followed  the  west  side  of  Lake  Winnipeg  to  the 
Grand  Rapids,  where,  on  the  20th,  he  met  David  Thompson 
on  his  way  to  the  Columbia.  Passing  the  Pas  on  August  24, 
he  reached  Cumberland  House  two  days  later,  but  remained 
only  until  sunset.  On  September  2  he  was  at  the  forks,  the 
next  day  at  Fort  Providence,  near  the  site  of  the  modern 
city  of  Prince  Albert,  and  on  the  4th  at  Hudson  House,  a 
few  miles  below  Carlton  House.  Pursuing  his  voyage,  Henry 
camped  at  the  mouth  of  the  Battle  River,  past  Fort  Ver- 
milion where  he  wintered.  The  following  year,  after  a  trip 
down  to  Fort  William,  he  reached  Fort  Augustus  (Edmonton) 
on  October  30,  and  returned  to  Vermilion,  where  he  again 
wintered.  This  he  abandoned  the  following  spring  to  estab- 
lish the  White  Earth  House,  where  Thompson  visited  him 
on  his  way  back  from  the  Columbia.  In  September  1810, 
Henry  went  as  far  as  Rocky  Mountain  House.  In  February 
1811  he  left  on  a  "  jaunt  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,"  reaching 
the  upper  end  of  the  Kootenay  on  the  fourth  day:  entering 
Howse  Pass,  he  reached  what  he  presumed  was  "  the  highest 
source  of  the  Saskatchewan,"  then  returned  to  White  Earth 
House  by  the  same  route  as  he  had  travelled  on  his  way  up. 
After  two  years  spent  in  the  Saskatchewan  country,  he  made 
a  second  trip  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  presumably  going 
through  Athabasca  Pass  and  following  the  all-Columbian 
route. 

His  career  was  abruptly  closed  by  drowning  in  company 
with  Donald  M'Tavish  of  the  North-West  Company  and 
several  others  on  their  way  from  Fort  George  to  the  company's 
boat,  the  Isaac  Toad,  on  May  22,  1814. 

"  He  was  not  a  great  explorer  in  the  sense  that  Alexander 
Mackenzie  and  David  Thompson  were;  he  made  no  such 
remarkable  discoveries  as  are  associated  with  their  names; 
but  he  was  an  untiring  traveller,  and  what  is  much  to  the 
point,  he  travelled  with  his  eyes  wide  open,  and  noted  in  his 
voluminous  journals  everything  that   aroused  his  interest. 


38  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

His  journals  are  essential  to  a  full  understanding  of  the  course 
of  exploration  in  North-Western  America."  ^ 

For  this  reason  we  have  thought  proper  of  giving  a  short 
summary  of  Henry's  voyages  on  the  Saskatchewan  River, 
which  he  knew  so  well,  from  its  mouth  to  its  higher  source. 

1  Burpee,  op.  cit.  p.  40S. 


THOMPSON  39 


CHAPTER  VI 

THOMPSON — FRASER — FRANKLIN 

To  sum  up  in  a  few  pages  the  forty-five  volumes  of  manuscript 
that  David  Thompson,  the  discoverer  of  the  Columbia  River, 
took  sixty-six  years  to  write  may  hardly  be  considered  an  easy 
task.  For  this  reason  our  readers  need  not  expect  here  a  full 
account  of  the  several  journeys  that  this  famous  explorer 
accomplished  from  the  day  that  he  entered  the  service  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  at  fourteen,  in  1784,  to  the  time  of 
his  death  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  Our  inten- 
tion is  to  follow  him  only  on  his  journeys  of  exploration  on 
the  Columbia  and  Kootenay  Rivers,  which  have  been  most 
instrumental  in  placing  his  name  before  the  world  as  that  of 
one  of  the  greatest  travellers  of  modern  times. 

Thompson  was  born  in  the  parish  of  St.  John's,  West- 
minster, England,  and  was  educated  at  the  Blue  Coat  School 
in  London.  Entering  the  service  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  in  1784,  he  began  at  Fort  Churchill,  in  that  year, 
the  first  of  his  voluminous  journals;  the  last  one  was  to  be 
written  in  1850.  During  the  thirteen  years  that  he  remained 
with  the  company,  he  carried  on  explorations  and  surveys 
of  the  Nelson,  Churchill,  and  Saskatchewan  Rivers.  In  1797. 
the  company  having  refused  his  request  to  prosecute  explora- 
tions further  west,  he  passed  over  to  the  North-West  Company, 
who  immediately  gave  him  the  appointment  of  astronomer 
and  surveyor.  For  his  new  employers  he  explored  the  upper 
waters  of  the  Assiniboine  and  Mississippi,  portions  of  those  of 
the  Missouri,  Athabasca,  and  Peace  Rivers,  and  again  the 
Saskatchewan  and  the  Churchill. 

Thompson  had  been  surveying  for  some  years  in  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  when,  on  May  10,  1807,  he  left  Rocky  Mountain 
House  on  horseback,  following  the  north  bank  of  the  Sas- 


40  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

katchewan.  On  June  3  he  was  on  the  Kootenay  plains  and 
on  the  6th  at  the  forks.  It  took  him  until  the  22nd  to  pre- 
pare for  his  journey  across  the  mountains.  That  day  he 
reached  the  summit,  and  a  few  miles  south  the  upper  waters 
of  the  Blaeberry  River,  which  he  descended  to  the  Upper 
Columbia  on  June  30.  A  few  days  later  he  was  building  Fort 
Kootenay  on  the  west  side  of  the  Columbia,  where  he  was  to 
winter.  Continuing  his  explorations  the  following  spring,  he 
finally  reached  the  source  of  the  mighty  river  in  Upper 
Columbia  Lake.  A  two-mile  portage  took  him  to  the  Koote- 
nay River,  which  he  decided  to  follow.  On  April  24  he  passed 
the  mouth  of  St.  Mary's  River.  On  May  6  he  was  at  Koote- 
nay Falls,  on  the  13th  at  the  mouth  of  the  Moyie  River,  and 
the  next  day  at  Kootenay  Lake.  Then  he  returned  up  the 
river  and  followed  the  Moyie  River  on  horseback  and  rejoined 
the  Kootenay  about  the  mouth  of  St.  Mary's  River  on  May  18. 
Crossing  the  Kootenay  he  ascended  its  right  bank  to  Fort 
Kootenay,  which  he  reached  June  5.  With  his  winter's  crop 
of  furs  he  returned  to  Rocky  Mountain  House  on  June  24, 
descended  the  Saskatchewan  River  to  Ciunberland  House  on 
July  9,  and  reached  Rainy  Lake  House  on  August  2. 

The  same  fall  he  again  crossed  the  mountains,  ascended  the 
Columbia  to  the  mouth  of  the  Spilimichene  River,  caused  a 
post  to  be  established  at  Kootenay  Falls,  and  himself  wintered 
at  Kootenay  Fort. 

In  the  spring  of  1809  he  once  more  crossed  the  mountains 
and  paddled  down  the  Saskatchewan  to  Fort  Augustus 
(Edmonton).  Returning  he  met  Mr.  Howse  of  the  North- 
West  Company,  after  whom  he  renamed  Saskatchewan  Pass. 
Having  reached  the  Columbia  he  crossed  the  Cabinet  Range 
to  Pend  d'Oreille  Lake,  where  he  built  Kullyspell  House; 
explored  the  Pend  d'Oreille  River,  the  Columbia  River  well 
into  what  is  now  the  State  of  Washington,  and  the  Kootenay 
River.  In  November  he  built  Salush  House  where  he 
wintered. 

In  the  following  spring  he  again  started  north  by  the  Koote- 
nay and  Columbia,  making  Howse  Pass  on  June  18,  descended 
the  Saskatchewan,  noticed  the  ruins  of  Fort  Augustus,  which 


THOMPSON  41 

the  Blackfeet  had  destroyed,  and  met  Alexander  Henry  at 
White  Earth  River  Fort.  On  July  4  he  was  at  Cumberland 
House,  and  on  the  22nd  at  Rainy  Lake.  On  September  6 
he  was  back  at  White  Earth  River  Fort,  The  Piegans 
Indians  having  obstructed  the  Howse  Pass,  Thompson  decided 
to  find  a  new  way  into  the  mountains  by  Athabasca  Pass. 
On  October  29  he  started  on  what  was  to  prove  his  most 
arduous  journey:  dangers  of  starvation,  death  from  freezing, 
fatigue  from  natural  obstacles  of  all  kinds,  caused  his  men  to 
almost  rebel.  However,  in  the  first  week  of  November  he  was 
at  Pembina  River,  and  on  December  i  on  the  Athabasca,  his 
provisions  almost  exhausted.  Some  of  his  men  went  hunting 
while  others  busied  themselves  with  making  sledges  and  snow- 
shoes,  and  others  again  went  overland  to  Rocky  Mountain 
House  for  provisions,  dogs,  and  horses.  There  Henry  gave 
them  what  he  could  spare.  Thompson  started  out  on  Decem- 
ber 29,  determined  to  reach  the  Columbia  against  odds.  On 
January  18,  1810,  he  was  on  the  banks  of  that  river  and, 
had  it  not  been  for  his  dispirited  companions,  would  have 
pushed  at  once  to  Kootenay  House. 

In  the  spring  of  181 1  Thompson  resumed  his  explorations 
on  the  Columbia  and  Kootenay  Rivers,  reached  on  June  15 
Spokane  House,  probably  built  by  him  some  time  before  about 
where  the  city  of  Spokane  now  stands,  descended  the  Spokane 
River  to  the  Columbia,  which  he  ascended  to  Kettle  Falls; 
started  down  the  Columbia,  and  on  July  9,  1811,  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  Snake  River,  five  years  after  the  passage  of 
Lewis  and  Clark :  this  did  not  prevent  him  from  taking  posses- 
sion of  the  territory  in  the  name  of  Great  Britain.  Thompson 
reached  Astoria  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River  on 
July  15  or  16. 

On  his  way  home  he  passed  the  mouth  of  the  Willamette 
(near  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Portland)  on  July  24, 
continued  up  the  Columbia  through  the  Arrow  Lakes  to  Boat 
Encampment  at  the  mouth  of  Canoe  River,  which  he  reached 
in  the  beginning  of  October,  having  achieved  his  greatest  work. 

After  a  few  more  explorations  of  lesser  importance  he  left 
the  north-west  the  following  year  (1812),  and  for  ten  years 


42  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

from  1816  was  engaged  in  surveying  and  defining  the  inter- 
national boundary.  He  also  carried  out  several  minor  surveys 
in  what  is  now  Eastern  Canada.  He  died  at  Longueil,  near 
Montreal. 

"  The  world  can  never  be  allowed  to  forget  the  discoverer 
of  the  sources  of  the  Columbia,  the  first  white  man  who  ever 
voyaged  on  the  upper  reaches  and  main  upper  tributaries  of 
that  mighty  river,  the  pathfinder  of  more  than  one  way  across 
the  Continental  Divide  from  Saskatchewan  to  Columbian 
waters,  the  greatest  geographer  of  his  day  in  British  America, 
and  the  maker  of  what  was  then  by  far  its  greatest  map."  ^ 

Among  other  famous  explorers  in  Northern  America  may 
be  mentioned  Simon  Fraser,  another  partner  of  the  North- 
West  Company,  who  lived  between  1776  and  1862.  He  was 
chosen  in  1805  for  the  new  field  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
when  the  company  decided  to  carry  its  operations  in  that 
territory.  Having  established  trading  posts  in  modern 
northern  British  Columbia,  he  explored  the  river  which  bears 
his  name.  In  181 1  he  was  promoted  to  the  charge  of  the  Red 
River  department.  He  declined  the  knighthood  offered  him 
as  a  recognition  of  his  services  in  the  cause  of  exploration.  He 
was  present  at  the  Seven  Oaks  affair.  He  retired  from  the  fur 
trade  about  the  time  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  the 
North-West  Company  joined  forces. 

In  later  years  and  nearer  to  our  days  Sir  John  Franklin 
(1786-1847)  headed  the  overland  expedition  of  1819-1822, 
from  York  Factory  by  way  of  Great  Slave  Lake  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Coppermine  River  and  the  Arctic  coast,  and  that  of 
1825-27  to  the  same  part  of  the  continent.  In  1845,  he 
started  on  a  third  expedition  by  sea  to  make  the  North- West 
Passage:  his  ships  were  caught  in  the  ice  jams  of  Victoria 
Strait,  and  with  all  his  men  he  perished  in  the  attempt  to 
reach  one  of  the  remote  northern  posts  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company. 

Although  the  relations  of  the  several  discoveries  and  journeys 
which  precede  may  not  appear  to  be  altogether  germane  to 
the  subject  of  this  book,  we  have  judged  necessary  to  briefly 
1  Burpee,  op.  cit.  p.  559. 


ZPi 


THOMPSON— FRASER— FRANKLIN       43 

review  them  in  order  to  all  the  better  impress  upon  the  mind 
of  the  reader  the  importance  of  the  Saskatchewan  and  Hudson 
Bay  routes,  which  for  so  many  years  were  followed,  at  some 
time  or  other  of  their  voyages,  by  the  many  explorers,  some 
of  whom  we  have  followed  together.  From  Laverendrye  to 
Franklin,  every  one  of  these  celebrated  men  found  it  necessary 
to  travel  by  way  of  the  Saskatchewan,  which,  as  every  one 
knows,  is  none  other  but  one  of  the  main  feeders  of  the  Nelson 
River,  at  the  mouth  of  which,  in  a  few  years  hence,  will  be 
found,  in  the  very  centre  of  Western  Canada,  Manitoba's  first 
seaport  and  one  of  Canada's  greatest  inland  commercial 
harbours,  Port  Nelson. 


44  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


CHAPTER  VII 

SELKIRK 

In  a  primitive  country  such  as  Rupert's  Land  was  in  the  fur- 
trading  days  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  the  North- 
West  Company,  with  men  bent  upon  making  money  fast 
without  the  restraint  of  law  to  fear,  seeing  on  every  side  the 
ready  products  of  the  native  trapper's  thrift  available  for  a 
small  outlay,  it  may  be  readily  imagined  that  rivalries  between 
the  competing  big  companies  were  such  that  it  appeared  a 
titan's  work  to  set  them  at  naught.  Debauchery  and  crime 
were  rampant,  traceable  to  the  doors  of  either  company :  the 
two  murders  committed  by  Peter  Pond  in  Athabasca  and  the 
terrible  circumstances  which  surrounded  the  death  of  Ben- 
jamin Frobisher  at  Cedar  Lake  may  be  cited  as  examples. 
Whoever  had  predicted  then  that  the  big  corporations  would 
soon  unite  would  have  been  suspected  of  insanity. 

Influenced  by  the  philanthropic  ideas  of  the  French  Revolu- 
tion, which  had  just  closed,  there  lived  in  those  days  in  Edin- 
burgh a  young  broad-minded  nobleman,  Thomas  Douglas, 
Earl  of  Selkirk.  In  the  company  of  Walter  Scott  and  Robert 
Burns,  he  had  acquired  ideas  and  desires  for  the  betterment 
of  the  rustic  classes  of  Scotland  and  Ireland,  which  gradually 
but  surely  had  led  him  to  consider  a  scheme  of  emigration 
of  these  people  to  Canada,  the  ultimate  results  of  which  were 
to  be,  firstly,  the  cessation  of  hostilities  between  the  two 
companies  by  the  consoHdation  of  both  into  one,  in  spite  of 
Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie's  opposition ;  secondly,  the  settlement 
of  the  three  modern  Provinces  of  Manitoba,  Saskatchewan, 
and  Alberta  as  agricultural  districts  destined  to  be  called,  in 
less  than  half  a  century,  the  granary  of  the  world.  It  is  not 
often  that  historians,  in  their  labours,  come  across  as  noble  a 
figure  and  as  deserving  a  character  as  were  the  attributes  of 


SELKIRK  45 

Lord  Selkirk,  the  founder  of  the  Red  River  Colony.  To 
Laverendrye  and  to  him  the  sculptor's  chisel  should  be  imme- 
diately requisitioned  to  carve  in  marble  the  first  two  western 
statues,  to  perpetuate  their  names  and  deeds  in  the  minds  of 
the  rising  generation  which  is  to  benefit  so  immensely  by  their 
virtues  so  true  and  noble. 

The  scope  of  this  book  does  not  permit  referring  otherwise 
than  in  passing  to  the  initial  work  of  Lord  Selkirk  in  Canada : 
his  Prince  Edward  Island  Colony,  his  first  visits  to  Canada 
and  the  United  States,  his  Baldoon  Settlement  near  Lake  St. 
Clair,  and  his  Moulton  Colony  near  the  mouth  of  the  Grand 
River  in  Upper  Canada.  Even  his  several  important  visits 
to  Montreal,  which  served  to  confirm  him  in  the  intention 
which  he  had  previously  had  of  establishing  a  settlement  in 
Rupert's  Land,  as  evidenced  by  his  memorial  of  April  4,  1802, 
to  Lord  Pelham,  Home  Secretary,  can  only  be  touched  upon, 
as  must  also  the  fact  that,  during  these  visits,  he  shrewdly 
availed  himself  of  the  several  entertainments  given  him  by  the 
partners  of  the  North-West  Company  to  obtain  as  much 
information  as  possible  about  the  resources  of  the  wonderful 
country  he  heard  them  speak  about  and  longed  to  visit. 

Attractive  as  it  may  have  looked  to  him,  the  fur  trade  did 
not  interest  the  young  nobleman  so  much  as  the  philanthropic 
desire  of  helping  his  poor  countrymen  to  create  homes  for 
themselves  and  their  descendants  in  a  new  country  where 
agriculture  appeared  to  have  more  chance  to  develop  into 
something  substantial  than  the  mere  fur  trade,  the  whole 
craze  of  those  days. 

By  the  year  1810  Lord  Selkirk  had  matured  a  plan  to 
realise  his  project  of  a  colony  in  the  Hudson  Bay  Territory. 
He  had  consulted  distinguished  lawyers  on  the  validity  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company's  charter,  and  ascertained  that  its 
title  to  land  was  as  good  as  that  of  any  landlord  in  England. 
His  next  step  had  been  to  purchase  a  controlling  interest  in 
the  company,  and  buy  from  it  a  tract  of  110,000  square  miles 
of  land  in  the  Red  River  Valley.  Alexander  Mackenzie,  John 
Inglis,  and  Edward  Ellice,  three  Nor'Westers  who  had  pur- 
chased £2500  of  stock  in  the  company  for  the  purpose  of 


46  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

defeating  the  coloniser's  ends,  were  unable  to  thwart  the 
skilfully  planned  schemes  which,  unawares,  they  had  helped 
to  realise  when  entertaining  the  young  lord  in  their  Montreal 
palatial  homes  and  clubs. 

Lord  Selkirk's  next  step  was  to  present  his  plan  to  the  pro- 
spective emigrant:  he  undertook  to  provide  transportation, 
means  of  livelihood  for  a  time,  and  to  give  free  lands.  In 
Upper  Canada  he  had  formed  a  friendship  with  a  young  United 
Empire  Loyalist,  Captain  Miles  Macdonell :  he  offered  to  put 
him  in  charge  of  the  colony.  This  was  accepted.  In  spite  of 
strenuous  opposition  on  the  part  of  Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie 
and  the  latter's  friends,  on  July  26,  1811,  the  first  contingent 
of  settlers  left  Stornoway  for  York  Factory,  where  it  arrived 
on  September  24.  It  was  then  too  late  in  the  season  to  ascend 
the  Nelson  River:  the  party  had  to  winter  on  the  bay,  and 
only  in  the  following  spring  could  they  start  for  the  Red  River, 
which  they  reached  only  in  the  fall,  having  found  the  route  a 
hard  and  trying  one,  with  its  numerous  rapids  and  portages. 

They  settled  at  the  forks,  where  the  beautiful  city  of  Winni- 
peg stands  to-day. 

The  second  and  third  parties  came  in  1813.  Two  years 
later  the  unfortunate  Semple  brought  a  fourth  contingent. 
That  same  year  Lord  Selkirk  landed  in  Montreal  with  Lady 
Selkirk,  their  son,  and  two  daughters.  Hearing  ^  that  his 
colony  on  the  Red  River  was  being  seriously  interfered  with 
by  the  Nor'Westers,  who  could  not  be  reconciled  to  the  idea 
that  the  old  hunting  and  trapping  grounds  should  be  turned 
into  farms,  he  appealed  to  Lord  Bathurst,  British  Secretary 
of  State,  and  Sir  Gordon  Drummond,  Governor  of  Lower 
Canada,  for  redress. 

"  In  entering  upon  this  transaction  (the  sale  of  the  Red 
River  lands  to  Lord  Selkirk)  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company, 

1  The  man  who  risked  his  life  to  take  the  news  to  Lord  Selkirk  from 
Red  River  to  Montreal  was  Jean  Baptiste  Lagimodiere,  grandfather 
of  Louis  Riel,  the  famous  Metis  chieftain.  Asked  by  Lord  Selkirk 
what  he  wished  in  return  for  the  service  he  had  rendered  him,  Lagi- 
modiere could  not  think  of  anything  better  than  priests  to  impart  to 
ids  young  wife,  Marie  Anne  Gaboury,  the  first  white  woman  of  the  Red 
'  Kiver  district,  the  consolations  of  religion. 


SELKIRK  47 

submitted  the  complainant,  had  no  reason  to  suppose  that  the 
intended  estabhshment  would  meet  with  any  peculiar  difficul- 
ties. The  country  on  Red  River,  where  it  was  to  be  formed, 
had  been  frequented  by  the  servants  of  the  company  for  a 
long  course  of  years ;  and  they  were  in  the  habits  of  the  most 
friendly  intercourse  with  the  natives.  The  district  had  been 
much  exhausted  of  valuable  furs,  so  that  the  trading  posts  in 
it  had  proved  of  late  years  unprofitable  and  doubts  had  been 
entertained  whether  they  ought  to  be  continued:  and  the 
Indians  had,  on  various  occasions,  expressed  much  anxiety 
lest  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  should  abandon  the  posts 
from  which  they  had  so  long  been  accustomed  to  receive  their 
supplies  of  British  manufactures.  It  was  not,  therefore,  sup- 
posed that  they  would  object  to  an  establishment,  calculated 
to  secure  them  permanently  from  such  apprehension;  and 
there  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  any  dissatisfaction  would 
have  existed  on  their  part,  if  it  had  not  been  industriously 
fomented."^ 

But  the  power  in  Montreal  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Nor'- 
Westers  or  their  friends :  the  secretary  and  the  governor  took 
no  notice.  Lord  Selkirk  was  reduced  to  organise  a  private 
expedition  at  his  own  expense.  Early  in  June  1816  the  De 
Meurons'  Regiment  started  for  the  west  under  the  personal 
leadership  of  Lord  Selkirk  himself.  The  winter  was  spent  in 
camp  at  Pointe  de  Meuron,  near  Fort  William.  In  June  1817 
the  party  was  at  the  Red  River.  A  settlement  of  the  troubles, 
in  which  blood  had  been  shed  at  the  Seven  Oaks  affair,  was 
arrived  at,  and  his  lordship  returned  to  Montreal.  Before 
parting  with  his  colonists  he  took  the  trouble  to  meet  the  chiefs 
of  the  different  tribes  and  passed  with  them  a  treaty,  the  good 
results  of  which  are  lasting  to  this  day. 

Lord  Selkirk  was  not  a  little  astonished,  on  his  arrival  at 

Montreal,  to  find  that  his  enemies  had  preceded  him  and 

denounced  him  to  the   authorities.     He  bravely  faced  the 

charges  of  theft,  riot,  assault,  resistance,  and  conspiracy  laid 

^against  him  by  the  North-West  Company,  paid  the  unjust 

*  End  of  Lord  Selkirk's  statement,  Red  River  Settlement  Papers, 
1819-58. 


48  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

fines  in  which  he  was  mulcted,  himself  brought  charges  against 
his  accusers  for  the  murder  of  Governor  Semple  and  for  theft, 
and,  to  his  disgust,  found  that  he  had  failed  on  all  counts. 

Utterly  discouraged  by  the  evident  unjust  treatment 
received  at  the  hands  of  judges,  the  tools  of  a  powerful  organi- 
sation, he  returned  to  Scotland  in  1818.  The  mental  torture 
to  which  he  had  been  subjected  seriously  affected  his  health. 
The  father  of  the  first  agricultural  colony  in  Western  Canada, 
which  has  now  extended  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  died  a  young 
man  of  forty-nine  years,  at  Pau,  in  the  south  of  France. 

The  following  year  the  two  big  companies,  realising  that 
conflicts  of  the  sort  which  had  caused  the  bloody  affair  of 
Seven  Oaks  could  only  result  in  the  destruction  of  both  com- 
panies, decided  to  bury  old  feuds  and  form  a  union :  this  took 
place  on  March  26,  182 1:  the  old  famihar  name  of  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company  was  retained,  with  Governor  Simpson  at 
the  head  of  affairs. 


HUDSON  BAY  AND  STRAIT  49 


CHAPTER  VIII 

HUDSON   BAY  AND    STRAIT 

Apart  from  the  many  difficulties  existing  only  in  the  imagina- 
tion of  certain  writers  and  their  readers,  for  the  most  part 
interested  in  seeing  things  in  the  worst  light,  the  main  dangers 
supposed  or  reported  to  attend  navigation  by  the  Hudson 
Bay  route  are  two-fold,  viz.,  ice  jams  in  the  strait  and  local 
attraction  resulting  in  the  inaccuracy  of  the  compass. 

Of  the  latter  little  need  be  said  as  science  will  soon  find  a 
way  to  explain  and  combat  the  trouble ;  it  seems  nothing  more 
than  an  ordinary  problem  of  mathematics  to  solve :  once  the 
medium  deviation  will  have  been  found,  it  should  be  easily 
rectified.  For  this  purpose,  in  the  summer  of  1912,  W.  E. 
Jackson,  a  magnetic  expert  from  the  Meteorological  Office  at 
Toronto,  who  had  accompanied  Captain  Bemier  in  the  cruise 
of  the  Arctic  in  1908-9,  was  chosen  by  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment to  take  a  trip  to  Hudson  Bay  on  the  Burleigh,  with 
a  mission  to  thoroughly  study  the  deviations  in  compass  and 
magnetic  conditions  generally.  Where  the  boats  of  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company  have  sailed  for  almost  two  centuries  and 
a  half  without  lights  and  bell  buoys,  it  would  seem  that  this 
difficulty  is  not  serious  enough  to  warrant  the  pusillanimous 
fear  which  is  expressed  in  some  quarters.  And  with  the 
opening  of  the  route  for  practical  uses  it  may  reasonably  be 
expected  that  men  of  science,  finding  it  relatively  easy  to 
study  the  trouble  on  the  spot,  will  rediscover  what  Laurent 
Ferrer  Maldonado,  the  Spanish  navigator  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  had  discovered  in  his  days  and  laid  before  the  Council 
of  the  Indies  in  his  country,  namely,  a  plan  to  render  the  mag- 
netic needle  unaffected  by  merely  local  conditions,  as  well  as 
his  second  plan  of  finding  longitude  at  sea  has  perhaps  been 
applied  from  his  data.^     Possibly  before  this  difficulty  of  the 

*  Epitome  de  la  Biblioteca  Oriental  y  Occidental,  Nautica  y  Geographica. 
Madrid,  1629. 

D 


50  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

variation  of  the  compass  is  conquered,  if  the  new  gyroscope 
compass  is  not  sufficient,  accidents  in  which  good  men  will  be 
sacrificed  to  the  requirements  of  progress  will  be  heard  of: 
a  few  boats  ill-directed  in  their  course  by  skippers  unfamiliar 
with  the  conditions  prevailing  in  the  waters  of  Canada's  great 
inland  sea  may  go  aground,  and  many  a  brave  sailor  may  find 
a  premature  grave  in  the  icy  waters  of  Hudson  Bay ;  but  we 
must  not  forget  that  the  betterment  of  every  great  invention 
has  met,  and  is  still  meeting,  at  some  day  or  other  with  terrible 
happenings,  and  that  "  the  lintel  of  every  doorway  to  advance- 
ment is  ever  marked  with  some  blood  sacrifice."  ^  In  this  age 
of  automobiles  and  flying  machines,  surely  a  little  matter  like 
the  danger  arising  from  the  uncertainty  to  which  mariners  on 
Hudson  Bay  may  be  subjected  at  the  start  on  account  of  the 
impossibility  to  trust  to  the  seaman's  now  admitted  indispens- 
able guide,  the  compass,  will  not  be  found  a  suf&cient  deterrent 
where  other  conditions  are  present.  What  has  been  done 
before  the  days  of  Marco  Polo  may  be  done  again. 

Undoubtedly  the  greatest  difficulties  in  connection  with  the 
Hudson  Bay  route  lie  in  the  strait,  and  for  this  reason  every 
impartial  student  of  the  problem  should  give  this  point  a  good 
deal  of  his  attention  before  claiming,  as  so  many  are  apt  to  do 
who  do  not  go  fully  into  the  matter,  either  that  the  passage 
is  practicable  at  all  times  or  that  it  is  never  safe. 

Hudson  Strait,  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  Hudson  Bay, 
between  Ungava  Bay  and  the  Upper  Narrows,  Labrador,  and 
Baffin's  Land,  is  450  miles.  Its  widest  breadth  is  100  miles. 
It  contracts  at  three  points,  varying  between  35  and  45  miles. 
The  first  point  at  the  eastern  entrance  is  to  be  found  between 
Resolution  and  Button  Islands,  the  second  westward  south  of 
Big  Island,  and  the  third  south  of  Nottingham  Island.  Miss 
Agnes  C.  Laut,  whose  several  books  on  Western  Canada  read 
as  works  of  fiction,  so  well  has  the  gentle  writer  mastered  the 
Enghsh  language,  describes  thus  Hudson  Strait : 

"  Hudson  Strait  opens  from  the  Atlantic  between  Resolution 
Island  on  the  north  and  the  Button  Islands  on  the  south. 
From  point  to  point,  this  end  of  the  strait  is  45  miles  wide. 
^  Laut,  op.  cit.  p.  313. 


HUDSON  BAY  AND  STRAIT  51 

At  the  other  end,  the  west  side,  between  Digges'  Island  and 
Nottingham  Island,  is  a  distance  of  35  miles.  From  east  to 
west,  the  straits  are  450  miles  long — wider  at  the  east  where  the 
south  side  is  known  as  Ungava  Bay,  contracting  at  the  west 
to  the  Upper  Narrows.  The  south  side  of  the  strait  is  Labra- 
dor; the  north,  Baffin's  Land.  Both  sides  are  lofty,  rocky, 
cavernous  shores  lashed  by  a  tide  that  rises  in  places  as  high 
as  35  feet,  and  runs  in  calm  weather  10  miles  an  hour.  Pink 
granite  islands  dot  the  north  shore  in  groups  that  afford 
harbourage,  but  all  shores  present  an  adamant  front,  edges 
sharp  as  a  knife  or  else  rounded  hard  to  have  withstood  and 
cut  the  tremendous  ice  jam  of  a  floating  world  suddenly  con- 
tracted to  40  miles,  which  Davis  Strait  pours  down  at  the  east 
end  and  Fox  Channel  at  the  west. 

"  Seven  hundred  feet  is  considered  a  good-sized  hill;  1000 
feet,  a  mountain.  Both  the  north  and  the  south  sides  of  the 
straits  rise  2000  feet  in  places.  Through  these  rock  walls 
ice  has  poured  and  torn  and  ripped  a  way  since  the  ice  age 
preceding  history,  cutting  a  great  channel  to  the  Atlantic. 
Here,  the  iron  walls  suddenly  break  to  secluded,  silent  valleys, 
moss-padded,  snow-edged,  lonely  as  the  day  earth  first  saw 
light.  Down  these  valleys  pour  the  clear  streams  of  the 
eternal  snows,  burnished  as  silver  against  the  green,  setting 
the  silence  echoing  with  the  tinkle  of  cataracts  over  some 
rock  wall,  or  filling  the  air  with  the  voice  of  many  waters  at 
noon-tide  thaw.  One  old  navigator — Coates — describes  the 
beat  of  the  angry  tide  at  the  rock  base  and  the  silver  voice  of 
the  mountain  brooks,  like  the  treble  and  bass  of  some  great 
cathedral  organ  sounding  its  diapason  to  the  glory  of  God 
in  this  peopleless  wilderness. 

"  Perhaps  the  kyacks  of  some  solitary  Eskimo,  lashed 
abreast  twos  and  threes  to  prevent  capsizing,  may  shoot  out 
from  some  of  these  bog-covered  valleys  like  sea  birds ;  but  it 
is  only  when  the  Eskimos  happen  to  be  hunting  here,  or  the 
ships  of  the  whalers  and  fur  traders  are  passing  up  and  down, 
that  there  is  any  sign  of  human  habitation  on  the  straits. 

"  Walrus  wallow  on  the  pink  granite  in  huge  herds.  Polar 
bears  flounder  from  icepan  to  icepan.     The  arctic  hare,  white 


52  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

as  snow  but  for  the  great  bulging  black  eye,  bounds  over 
the  boulders.  Snow  buntings,  whistling  swans,  snow  geese, 
ducks  in  myriads — ^flacker  and  clacker  and  hold  solemn 
conclave  on  the  adjoining  rocks,  as  though  this  were  their 
realm  from  the  beginning  and  for  all  time. 

"  Of  a  tremendous  depth  are  the  waters  of  the  strait's. 
Not  for  nothing  has  the  ice  world  been  grinding  through  this 
narrow  channel  for  billions  of  years.  No  fear  of  shoals  to  the 
mariner.  Fear  is  of  another  sort.  When  the  ice  is  running  in 
a  whirlpool  and  the  incoming  tide  meets  the  ice  jam  and  the 
waters  mount  thirty-five  feet  high  and  a  wind  roars  between 
the  high  shores  like  a  bellows — then  it  is  that  the  straits  roll 
and  pitch  and  funnel  their  waters  into  black  troughs  where 
the  ships  go  down.  '  Undertow '  the  old  Hudson's  Bay 
captains  called  the  suck  of  the  tide  against  the  ice-wall; 
and  that  black  hole  where  the  lumpy  billows  seemed  to  part 
like  a  passage  between  wall  of  ice  and  wall  of  water  was  what 
the  mariners  feared.  The  other  great  danger  was  just  a  plain 
crush,  getting  nipped  between  two  icepans  rearing  and 
plunging  like  fighting  stallions,  with  the  ice  blocks  going 
off  like  pistol-shots  or  smashed  glass.  No  child's  play  is 
such  navigating  either  for  the  old  sailing  vessels  of  the  fur 
traders  or  the  modern  ice-breakers  propelled  by  steam!  Yet 
the  old  sailing  vessels  and  the  whaling  fleets  have  navigated  these 
straits  for  two  hundred  years."  ^ 

Hudson  Strait  never  freezes  over  and  the  official  expedi- 
tion of  1903  under  the  command  of  Mr.  A.  P.  Low  has  "  estab- 
lished the  important  fact  of  two  open  currents  always  flowing 
in  the  straits,  one  along  the  north  shore,  in  and  westward, 
bearing  the  ice  drift  of  Greenland,  so  that  ships  entering  could 
go  with  the  ice  drive;  one  along  the  south  shore,  outward, 
bearing  the  raft  ice  of  Hudson's  Bay,  so  that  the  ships  going 
to  sea  could  also  go  with  the  ice  drift.  In  both  cases,  there- 
fore, it  was  found  that  the  ships  could  navigate  the  strait  with 
the  ice  drift,  not  against  it."  ^ 

1  Laut,  op.  cit.  p.  303  et  seq.  See  Appendix  B  for  description  by 
A.  P.  Low,  F.R.G.S. 

'^  Castell  Hopkins,  The  Canadian  Annual  Review,  1907,  p.  148. 


^-r-/ 


■5- 


cr<Si 


2^ 


HUDSON  BAY  AND  STRAIT  53 

In  his  report  of  the  cruise  of  the  Arctic,  1908-9,  Captain 
Bernier  gives  a  summary  of  the  several  Canadian  expeditions 
which  have  been  made  in  Hudson  Bay  and  Strait  since  1884. 
A  very  good  opinion  of  the  conditions  in  those  waters  may  be 
formed  from  this  summary  which  is  reproduced  here  in  extenso: 


"  Expedition  under  Commander  A.  R.  Gordon,  in  1884 

"  The  expedition  of  Commander  Gordon  left  Halifax  on 
July  22,  1884,  in  the  Neptune,  a  chartered  steamer,  accom- 
panied by  a  number  of  observers  and  Robert  Bell,  M.D., 
G.G.R.S.,  geologist  and  medical  officer.  The  Neptune  arrived 
off  the  entrance  of  Hudson  Strait  on  August  3.  The  different 
observing  officers  were  left  at  their  respective  stations,  namely, 
Port  Burwell,  Skynner's  Cove,  Ashe  Inlet,  Stupart's  Bay, 
Laperriere,  and  Port  de  Boucherville.  From  the  last-named 
station  the  Neptune  first  went  to  Chesterfield  Inlet  and  from 
there  south  to  Marble  Island,  from  there  to  Churchill,  from 
Churchill  to  York  Factory,  lying  between  the  mouths  of  the 
Nelson  and  Hayes  Rivers.  She  returned  to  Digges  Island, 
opposite  Cape  Wollstenholme,  from  that  point  returning 
pretty  much  by  the  same  route  as  she  went  out,  with  the 
exception  of  keeping  farther  out  to  sea,  and  landing  at  St. 
John's,  Newfoundland,  where  the  Neptune  was  owned.  On 
this  voyage,  observations  of  the  currents  of  Hudson  Strait 
were  made,  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  tide,  and  the  velocity  of 
the  tides  at  the  different  stations  mentioned  above,  and  also 
at  Port  Churchill.  The  temperature  of  the  sea  in  Hudson 
Strait  and  Hudson  Bay  was  taken,  and  some  description  given 
in  Gordon's  narrative  of  the  resources  of  Hudson  Bay  and 
Strait.  His  narrative  also  contained  a  brief  description  of 
the  inhabitants,  the  Esquimaux,  and  of  the  fauna.  Dr. 
Robert  Bell,  the  geologist  and  naturalist,  furnished  a  lengthy 
report  upon  the  examination  of  the  geological  features  of  the 
shores  of  the  strait  and  the  bay,  visited  by  the  Neptune,  and 
some  general  remarks  on  glaciation. 


54  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

"  The  Neptune  was  a  chartered  vessel,  and  was  delivered 
to  the  owners  at  St.  John's,  Newfoundland,  October  i8,  1884. 


Expedition  under  Commander  A.  R.  Gordon,  in  1885 

"  The  second  expedition  of  Lieutenant  A.  R.  Gordon  was 
made  in  1885,  in  the  Alert,  the  vessel  used  by  Sir  George 
Nares  in  1876  in  his  Arctic  expedition  under  the  British 
Admiralty.  Lieutenant  Gordon  left  Halifax  on  May  27, 
1885,  and  proceeded  to  the  entrance  of  Hudson  Strait,  but 
did  not  get  any  farther  than  Resolution  Island,  where  damage 
was  done  to  the  stem  of  his  vessel.  He  steered  for  St.  John's, 
Newfoundland,  to  have  repairs  made,  again  returning  to  the 
entrance  of  Hudson  Strait.  He  called  at  the  different  stations 
established  in  1884,  and  took  on  board  the  men  with  their 
instruments  for  observation,  and  again  crossed  the  bay  to 
Churchill,  where  he  took  up  the  soundings  of  the  previous 
year  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  plan  of  Churchill  Harbour. 
The  object  of  the  trip  was  exactly  the  same  as  that  of  the 
voyage  of  1884,  but  the  report  on  the  voyage  contains  informa- 
tion obtained  by  the  observers  that  remained  the  year  in  the 
strait,  and  their  notes  relating  to  the  movements  of  the  ice, 
and  general  observations. 

"  Dr.  Bell  accompanied  Lieutenant  Gordon  on  this  trip, 
pursuing  his  search  for  economic  minerals  or  evidences  of 
them,  and  the  study  of  the  general  geological  formation  of 
the  country.  Magnetic  observations  were  also  made  by 
Mr.  Stupart,  and  absolute  determinations  were  made  at  the 
Toronto  Observatory. 


Expedition  under  Commander  A.  R.  Gordon,  in  1886 

"  Commander  Gordon,  in  his  voyage  of  1886,  followed 
instructions  to  proceed  to  the  mouth  of  Hudson  Strait  on 
July  3,  pushed  through  the  strait,  calling  at  some  of  the 


HUDSON  BAY  AND  STRAIT  55 

stations  established  in  1884.  He  crossed  the  bay  from  Cape 
Southampton  to  Churchill  and  arrived  in  the  harbour  on 
July  29.  Some  time  was  employed  in  making  a  survey  of 
Churchill  Harbour.  The  plan  prepared  by  Gordon  shows 
the  soundings  noted  in  fathoms  at  low  water.  Outside  the 
entrance  of  the  harbour,  the  depth  was  from  9  to  13  fathoms, 
decreasing  until  opposite  the  Hudson  Bay  warehouse  it  was 
5  fathoms.  He  visited  the  mouth  of  the  Nelson  River,  and 
made  soundings  of  Nelson  Harbour,  which  are  given  in  feet 
at  low  water.  It  was  unsafe  to  take  the  ship  nearer  than' 
about  13  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The  soundings 
were  accordingly  made,  in  Nelson  Harbour,  in  a  boat.  There 
is  a  channel  from  the  Nelson  River  into  the  bay,  but  it  is 
narrow  and  tortuous.  The  most  direct  line  of  soundings 
gives  the  depth  from  6  feet  near  the  shore  to  33  feet  at  the 
ship.  Between  the  ship's  position  and  the  last  depth,  the 
water  measures  from  12  to  14  feet ;  14  feet  only  having  been 
found  a  short  distance  from  the  ship.  The  voyage  appears 
to  have  been  made  with  comparative  ease  from  Halifax  to 
Churchill,  Nelson  and  return.  In  1886,  Commander  Gordon 
found  the  strait  navigable  about  a  month  earlier  than  in 
1885,  and,  in  his  conclusion  respecting  the  season  of  naviga- 
tion, takes  into  consideration  the  main  question  of  the  object  of 
the  expedition,  namely,  that  practical  commercial  navigation 
in  the  straits  can  be  kept  up  during  July,  August,  September, 
and  October, 

"  His  reports  were  published  separately,  and  also  in  the 
annual  reports  of  the  Department  of  Marine  and  Fisheries 
for  the  years  1884-5-6.  He  made  some  soundings  in 
Churchill  Harbour  and  prepared  a  map  or  plan  of  the  har- 
bour, showing  the  depth  of  water  and  the  accommodation  the 
harbour  can  afford  vessels.  He  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
ChurchiU  is  a  very  much  better  place  to  load  than  the  mouth 
of  the  Nelson  River  can  possibly  be  made. 

"  Churchill  is  a  natural  harbour,  where  the  tide  rises  15  feet 
5  inches  at  spring  tide  and  8  feet  at  neap  tide.  It  is  impossible 
to  get  within  12  miles  of  the  mouth  of  the  Nelson  River  with 
vessels  drawing  any  depth  of  water.     It  was  also  ascertained 


56  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

that  silt  and  mud,  brought  down  the  river  by  freshets  in  the 
spring  of  the  year,  would  fill  up  any  artificial  harbour  that 
might  be  made  at  Nelson. 


Expedition  of  Commander  William  Wakeham,  in  1897 

"  The  fourth  expedition  to  Hudson  Bay  was  made  in  1897, 
under  Commander  Wakeham,  of  the  Marine  and  Fisheries 
Department,  in  the  steamship  Diana.  The  expedition  was 
for  exactly  the  same  purpose  as  the  three  voyages  under 
Commander  Gordon,  namely,  to  ascertain  more  fully,  if 
possible,  the  length  of  time  which  vessels  engaged  in  com- 
mercial trade  might  navigate  Hudson  Bay  and  Strait.  One 
special  feature  of  the  instructions  given  to  Commander 
Wakeham  was  the  direction  to  pass  in  and  out  of  the  strait 
as  often  as  he  could  from  the  time  of  his  first  entrance.  The 
Diana  left  Halifax  on  June  3,  1897,  passing  around  the  coast 
of  Nova  Scotia  and  through  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  and 
Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  and  coasting  along  Labrador.  She  met 
very  heavy  ice  coming  down  from  Baffin  Bay,  which  impeded 
her  progress  to  a  great  extent,  but  she  arrived  off  the  entrance 
of  Hudson  Strait  on  June  22.  She  was  headed  for  the  strait 
and  passed  along  the  north  side,  but  was  compelled  to  change 
her  course  and  was  carried  two-thirds  of  the  width  of  the 
strait  south,  towards  the  north-west  side  of  Ungava  Bay; 
she  was  forced  north  again  under  great  difficulties,  arriving 
opposite  Ashe  Inlet  about  July  2,  and  crossed  the  strait  to 
Douglas  Harbour  on  the  south  side  of  the  strait.  The  trip 
was  continued,  the  vessel  approaching  near  Salisbury  Island 
and  then  across  to  Digges  Island,  and  from  there  to  the  north 
end  of  Mansfield  Island,  and  returned  to  the  eastern  entrance 
of  Hudson  Strait,  north  of  Button  Islands. 

"  The  course  steered  the  second  trip  was  practically  from 
the  east  to  the  west  end  of  the  strait  as  far  as  Digges  Island, 
through  the  centre  of  the  strait,  returning  in  a  northerly 
direction  to  some  islands  lying  south  of  Salisbury  Island  and 
then  to  the  vicinity  of  Emma  Island,  passing  close  to  Big 


HUDSON  BAY  AND  STRAIT  57 

Island,  in  the  vicinity  of  Ashe  Inlet,  to  the  mouth  of  Ungava 
Bay  and  then  north  around  the  Button  Islands  to  Cape 
Chidley,  and  from  there  to  Nachvack  Bay,  arriving  on  July  31. 

"  The  third  trip  was  made  from  Nachvack  Bay  north  to 
Kekerton  Islands  in  Cumberland  Gulf,  and  then  south  to  the 
entrance  of  Hudson  Strait  and  to  the  bottom  of  Ungava  Bay ; 
proceeding  from  that  point  on  August  16,  Commander  Wake- 
ham  navigated  the  strait,  going  westward  and  crossing 
Hudson  Bay  to  Fort  Churchill,  arriving  there  on  August  28, 
returning  through  the  centre  of  the  strait  as  far  as  Port 
Burwell  and  then  north  around  Cape  Chidley  returned  to  St. 
John's,  Newfoundland, 

"  The  Diana  passed  out  of  Hudson  Strait  on  October  30  and 
arrived  at  Halifax  after  a  rough  passage  on  November  11,  1897. 

"  Two  geological  parties  were  taken  on  board  the  Diana 
and  landed  on  the  shores  of  Hudson  Strait  and  Bay,  but  on 
one  of  the  trips  made  through  the  strait  they  were  picked 
up  and  taken  to  St.  John's,  Newfoundland ;  the  Diana  returned 
to  the  strait  and  resumed  the  trips  already  described. 


Cruise  of  the  'Neptune,'  1903-4 

"  The  Neptune  left  Halifax  on  August  24,  1903,  under  the 
command  of  A.  P.  Low,  geologist.  The  main  purpose  of  the 
expedition  was  to  patrol  the  waters  of  Hudson  Bay  and  of 
the  eastern  Arctic  Islands  further  north,  and  for  the  purpose 
of  establishing  permanent  stations  for  the  collection  of  customs 
and  the  enforcement  of  Canadian  law. 

"  The  Neptune  passed  along  the  coast  of  Labrador,  entering 
Nachvak  Bay,  thence  to  Port  Burwell  and  from  there  north- 
ward to  Cumberland  Gulf,  calling  at  Kerkton,  and  Blacklead. 
On  the  passage  south  from  Cimiberland  Gulf,  Cape  Haven 
was  made,  north  of  Cyrus  Field  Bay.  The  course  was  followed 
across  the  mouth  of  Frobisher  Bay  and  Hudson  Strait  was 
entered  on  the  north  side.  The  strait  was  crossed  to  Douglas 
Harbour  and  a  passage  taken  for  the  east  end  of  Charles  Island. 
The   cruise   was   continued  past   Southampton   Island  into 


58  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Hudson  Bay  and  to  Fullerton  Harbour.  The  Neptune  was 
put  in  winter  quarters  at  Fullerton  Harbour  on  September  23. 

"  A  plan  of  Fullerton  Harbour  was  made  during  the  winter. 
On  July  18,  1904,  the  Neptune  left  Fullerton  Harbour,  and 
steamed  to  the  south  towards  Mansfield  Island,  and  entered 
the  strait,  making  her  passage  to  Port  Burwell,  where  she 
was  met  by  the  Erik  with  stores.  The  Neptune  proceeded 
northwards  for  Smith  Sound,  taking  a  course  along  the  coast 
of  Greenland.  The  voyage  was  continued  north  to  Cape 
Sabine,  calling  at  Etah  in  latitude  78°  30'  north.  On  the 
way  south,  Ross  Bay  was  crossed,  and  a  record  left  at  Cape 
Herschel  on  the  mainland  of  the  great  island  of  Ellesmere. 
Proceeding  south,  Lancaster  Sound  was  entered,  and  the 
Neptune  passed  along  the  island  of  North  Devon  and  anchored 
off  Beechey  Island,  where  the  crews  of  the  Erebus  and  Terror 
of  Sir  John  Franklin's  expedition  spent  a  winter.  From 
Erebus  Harbour,  Beechey  Island,  the  Neptune  stood  south- 
ward across  Lancaster  Sound  for  North  Somerset  Island, 
Leopold  Island,  and  Cape  Clarence  at  the  mouth  of  Prince 
Regent  Inlet,  and  from  there  the  cruise  was  continued  to 
Ponds  Inlet.  The  passage  was  made  south  to  Cumberland 
Gulf,  and  from  Cumberland  Gulf  the  Neptune  returned  to 
Port  Burwell;  from  Port  Burwell  the  cruise  was  continued 
through  Hudson  Strait  to  Fullerton  in  Hudson  Bay. 

"  On  the  homeward  voyage  from  Fullerton,  Port  BurweU 
was  made,  the  vessel  arriving  there  on  October  i.  The 
Neptune  returned  to  Hahfax,  arriving  on  October  12. 

"  In  addition  to  the  establishing  of  mounted  police  stations 
and  custom  house  stations,  observations  and  examination  of 
the  geological  formation  of  the  places  visited  by  Mr.  Low, 
the  commander,  were  made,  thus  a  vast  amount  of  geological 
knowledge  was  added  to  what  had  been  previously  acquired. 

Expedition  to  Hudson  Bay,  1904 

"  Major  Moodie,  of  the  Royal  North- West  Mounted  Police, 
was  sent  in  command  of  the  government  force,  with  myself 
in  command  of  the  Arctic. 


HUDSON  BAY  AND  STRAIT  59 

"  The  Arctic  left  Quebec  on  September  17,  1904,  and  arrived 
at  Port  Burwell,  Ungava  Bay,  on  October  i.  She  left  Port 
Burwell  and  passed  through  Hudson  Strait  without  encoun- 
tering any  ice  on  the  voyage  until  she  got  within  a  few  miles 
of  Fullerton  Harbour;  the  ice  was  floating  in  and  out  of  the 
harbour  with  the  tide.  It  was  newly  made  and  is  called  slob 
ice.  The  ice  in  the  inner  harbour  was  frozen  to  a  thickness 
of  about  4  inches.  Fullerton  was  made  the  winter  quarters 
of  the  vessel. 

"  Major  Moodie  reported  that  the  winter  passed  quickly 
and  pleasantly,  the  lowest  temperature  being  52  degrees 
below  zero,  and  this  cold  was  not  severely  felt. 

"  On  July  14,  1905,  the  ship  ran  clear  of  all  ice  and  shaped 
her  course  for  Cape  Southampton,  Coats  Island.  When  she 
arrived  at  the  island  only  a  few  pieces  of  floating  ice  were 
seen.  Erik  Harbour  was  entered,  which  was  free  of  ice, 
excepting  some  pieces  aground  at  the  head  of  the  harbour. 

"  About  40  miles  east  of  Erik  Harbour  a  harbour  was  found 
where  a  good  size  river  empties  into  it.  The  land  rises  to  a 
considerable  height  with  good  flat  benches  around  the  bay. 
The  surrounding  hills  were  covered  with  grass.  It  was  found, 
however,  that  a  bar  exists  which  prevents  vessels  entering  at 
any  other  time  than  high  water.  This  harbour  was  called 
Prefontaine  Harbour  and  the  headland  on  the  east  side  of  the 
entrance  named  Cape  Sir  Wilfrid  Laurier,  and  the  island  on 
the  west  side  of  the  entrance  White  Island,  after  Colonel 
White,  comptroller  of  the  mounted  police.  The  harbour  was 
not  shown  on  any  chart,  although  it  was  the  best  one  that 
had  been  entered;  it  averages  about  ij  miles  across.  The 
natives  say  that  the  harbour  was  open  on  June  i,  and  that  no 
heavy  ice  ever  comes  in  from  the  strait.  The  Arctic  passed 
towards  the  eastern  entrance  of  Hudson  Strait,  calling  at  a 
number  of  places  until  she  reached  Port  Burwell,  and  from  Port 
Burwell  went  to  Chateau  Bay,  where  orders  were  received  to 
proceed  to  Quebec. 

"  The  voyage  was  uneventful,  with  the  exception  of  breaking 
one  propeller  blade  that  was  quickly  replaced  by  a  spare  one, 
carried  on  board. 


6o  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

"  There  was  but  one  report  and  that  by  Major  Moodie,  who 
stated  in  respect  of  the  navigation  of  Hudson  Strait  that 
any  well-built  and  well-engined  steamer  could  enter  the 
strait  and  bay  early  in  July.  It  was  possible  for  a  steamer  to 
be  delayed  by  ice  if  the  winds  were  from  the  north-east,  but 
she  would  not  be  in  any  danger.  However,  the  winds  vary 
from  year  to  year,  and  one  year  is  no  guide  to  what  the 
prevailing  winds  will  be  in  the  next. 

"  In  connection  with  the  voyage,  it  is  worthy  of  note  that 
Major  Moodie  was  commissioned  by  the  government  to 
estabhsh  mounted  police  stations,  and  for  the  Arctic  under  my 
command  to  attend  to  annexing  to  Canada  arctic  territory 
granted  by  the  Imperial  Government.  It  was  intended  to 
send  the  Neptune  to  Hudson  Bay  with  small  houses,  to  enable 
the  men  to  establish  a  mounted  police  station  at  Fullerton 
Harbour,  but  delay  occurred  in  getting  the  Neptune  ready  in 
time  to  reach  Hudson  Bay  in  the  spring  of  1905,  therefore 
the  trip  to  the  more  northern  waters  was  abandoned  until  the 
spring  of  1908."  ^ 

It  now  remains  to  give  the  opinions  of  navigators  and  others 
on  the  navigation  of  Hudson  Strait  and  Bay  and  the  period 
during  which  ports  may  be  kept  open. 

1  Cruise  of  the  Arctic,  1908-9,  by  Captain  J.  E.  Bernier,  p.  324  et  seq. 


o  a 


J  a, 


HUDSON  BAY  AND  STRAIT  61 


CHAPTER  IX 

OPINIONS   ON   HUDSON    BAY  AND  STRAIT 

Lord  Grey,  then  Governor-General  of  Canada,  at  the  time  of 
his  visit  to  Hudson  Bay,  in  the  siunmer  of  1910,  called  it  the 
"  Mediterranean  of  the  North."  It  is  the  third  largest  sea 
in  the  world.  The  area  of  the  Mediterranean  is  977,000 
square  miles,  of  the  Baltic  580,000,  of  Hudson  Bay  355,000. 
Hudson  Bay's  length  is  800  miles,  its  breadth  500 :  compared 
with  any  of  the  Great  Lakes  it  is  a  veritable  ocean,  for  Lake 
Superior's  area  is  only  31,000  square  miles,  Lake  Huron's 
but  23,000,  Lake  Erie's  merely  9960,  and  Lake  Ontario's 
barely  7240. 

Hudson  Bay  and  Strait  are  two  large  arms  of  the  Atlantic 
Ocean,  and  are  both  well  south  of  the  arctic  circle.  Ice  does 
not  form  in  their  waters,  but  come  on  both  sides  of  Bafl&n's 
Land  from  the  sub-arctic  regions,  drifting  down  through  the 
strait  along  the  Labrador  coast  and  Belle  Isle,  when  the 
summer  sun  begins  to  melt  them  in  the  extreme  north. 
Some  people,  because  they  have  witnessed  or  read  of  ice  floes 
in  the  strait  in  August,  have  imagined  that  if  such  appear  in 
the  warmest  month  of  the  year,  conditions  must  be  worse 
still  during  the  other  months,  more  so  in  winter  time.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  colder  it  is  the  less  floating  ice  there  is, 
since  there  is  none  detached  then  from  the  glacial  regions 
where  it  is  formed.  In  the  bay  itself,  although  field  ice  is, 
no  doubt,  found  in  large  quantities,  it  never  impedes  naviga- 
tion, as  boats  follow  their  course  through  it  as  through  so 
much  spindrift.  Only  when  the  ice  is  crowding  out  of  the 
bay  in  the  early  part  of  the  summer  is  there  real  danger  for 
the  boats  which  allow  themselves  to  be  caught  amongst  its 
blocks. 

But  it  seems  a  small  matter  to  foresee  the  stockade  from 


62  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

either  end  of  the  strait :  it  is  a  problem  rather  of  delay  than 
of  physical  danger,  affecting  rather  the  price  of  charter  than  of 
marine  insurance. 

"  Greatest  dangers  are  to  be  feared  and  encountered  outside 
the  bay  and  straits,  and  in  the  open  sweep  of  the  Atlantic  on 
the  Labrador  coast  line,  where  great  detached  masses  of  the 
floe  known  as  icebergs  crowd  down  from  Baffin  Bay  and  Davis 
Strait.  But  icebergs  are  to  be  found  at  this  season  at  the 
entrance  to  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  though  they  must  neces- 
sarily be  more  numerous  and  more  formidable  further  north, 
yet  it  is  a  known  danger,  and  as  such  not  insuperable  to  careful 
navigation.  In  a  word,  the  difficulties  of  the  route  are 
trifling  after  the  end  of  July  so  far  as  the  bay  and  straits  are 
concerned,  and  the  real  danger  hes  in  north  Atlantic  waters 
beyond.  This  danger  can  be  minimised  by  the  resources  of 
modem  science,  of  which  wireless  telegraph  stations  on  the 
coast  line  and  on  all  ships  plying  in  the  Western  Canadian 
trade  is  the  greatest  factor."^ 

Opinions  as  to  the  navigability  of  Hudson  Bay  and  Strait 
are  almost  as  numerous  and  varied  as  the  men  expressing 
themselves  on  the  subject.  We  reproduce  below  several  of 
these  opinions,  mostly  of  men  who  have  seen  conditions 
with  their  own  eyes,  and  have  thus  been  able  to  speak  from 
personal  observation. 

J.  A.  J.  M'Kenna,  the  author  of  The  Hudson  Bay  Route, 
published  by  direction  of  the  Minister  of  the  Interior,  makes 
the  following  pertinent  remarks  on  the  subject: 

"  In  the  course  of  a  century  and  three-quarters,  750  vessels, 
ranging  from  seventy-gun  ships  to  ten-ton  pinnaces,  crossed 
the  ocean,  passed  through  the  straits,  and  sailed  the  bay  in  the 
service  of  the  company  (the  Hudson's  Bay  Company).  And 
only  two  were  lost.  A  marvellous  record,  when  it  is  re- 
membered that  all  the  craft  were  sailers  and  most  of  them 
small  and  of  rude  construction,  and  that  the  bay  and  strait 
afforded  none  of  the  modem  accessories  to  navigation  in  the 
way  of  coast  aids. 

"  At  one  time  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  was  well  satisfied 
^Manitoba  Fres  Press,  September  6,  1912. 


HUDSON  BAY  AND  STRAIT  63 

if  its  ships  wintered  safely  in  the  bay  and  returned  the  next 
year.  Indeed,  a  gratuity  of  fifty  guineas  was  allowed  the 
captains  who  made  the  trip  in  two  seasons.  But  by  the 
middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  gratuity  was  only  given 
to  the  captain  who  made  the  return  trip  in  the  one  season; 
and  what  was  once  represented  as  absolutely  impracticable, 
was  very  easily  and  safely  performed. 

"  The  navigation  was  found  good  enough  to  admit  of  the 
French  several  times  by  water  contesting  the  possession  of 
the  British.  In  1782  La  Perouse,  the  French  admiral,  brought 
a  seventy-four-gun  line  of  battleship  and  two  frigates  of 
thirty-six  guns  each  to  the  mouth  of  the  Nelson  River. 

"  The  company,  from  i860,  allowed  American  whalers 
access  to  the  bay ;  and  the  experience  of  their  captains  tends 
in  favour  of  the  view  that  these  waters  can  be  utilised  for 
commercial  navigation."^ 

Captain  Coates,  in  the  service  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
from  1727  to  1751,  is  not  of  the  optimistic  class:  "  As  it  is 
very  hazardous,"  he  says,  "  to  enter  the  straits  before  the 
beginning  of  July  for  ice,  so  it  is  dangerous  to  be  in  that  bay 
after  the  middle  of  September."  ^ 

Captain  Falconer,  in  the  service  of  the  same  company,  noted 
in  his  journal  for  1768-69  that  the  bay  and  strait  could  be 
navigated  between  July  15  and  October  15.^ 

Captain  Colin  Sinclair,  a  native  of  York  Factory,  who  for 
six  years  navigated  the  waters  of  the  bay  and  strait,  can  see 
no  extraordinary  danger  or  difficulty  in  their  navigation.  He 
passed  through  the  strait  on  a  sealing  voyage  as  early  as  April 
and  saw  no  ice.* 

In  1884,  Captain  Silsby,  who  for  several  years  was  engaged 
in  navigating  these  northern  waters,  wrote  that  steamships 
could  ply  between  the  bay  ports  and  Europe  for  four  months 
in  each  year  (July,  August,  September,  and  October),  and 
five  months  in  open  winters.^  Captain  Adams  is  of  the  same 
opinion,  but  qualifies  it  by  stating  that  even  when  navigation 

*  J.  A.  J.  M'Kenna,  The  Hudson  Ray  Route,  p.  45. 
*M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  5.  'M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  5. 

*  M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  6.  '  M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  6. 


64  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

is  open  there  are  possible  difficulties  because  of  the  current 
from  Davis  Strait  carrying  ice  across  the  mouths  of  Frobisher, 
Cumberland,  and  Hudson  Straits.^ 

Captain  Kennedy,  who  for  eight  years  after  1838  coasted 
the  shore  Une  in  a  York  boat  from  Chimo  River  to  George 
River,  thought  navigation  could  be  carried  on  without  danger 
for  three  months. ^ 

Captain  Hawes,  who  made  no  less  than  fourteen  voyages  to 
the  bay,  believed  also  in  four  months  of  navigation,  while 
Captain  E.  B.  Fisher,  a  veteran  whaler,  thought  three  and  a 
half  months  would  represent  the  limit,  and  Captain  Thomas 
Mackenzie  did  not  advise  coming  out  of  the  bay  after 
October  5.' 

Captain  Bernier,  the  well-known  arctic  explorer  and  navi- 
gator, says:  "  With  wireless  telegraphy  in  a  station  at  the 
entrance  of  Hudson  Bay,  the  opening  of  navigation  could  be 
made  in  the  first  week  of  July  by  informing  the  steamers  which 
side  of  the  strait  to  pass  on,  so  as  to  find  clear  navigable 
water."*  In  a  former  interview  Captain  Bernier  had  made 
the  statement  that  Hudson  Bay  and  Strait  are  open  to 
navigation  the  year  round,  but  as  far  as  the  strait  is  con- 
cerned, icebergs  block  the  way  in  places  according  to  where  the 
current  into  or  out  of  the  bay  drives  them.  With  wireless 
stations  established,  so  that  ships  could  be  directed  in  their 
course,  the  Hudson  Bay  ports  would  rank  amongst  the  most 
important  on  the  continent,  owing  to  the  very  appreciable 
difference  in  distance  to  Europe,  compared  with  that  of  other 
ports. 

Captain  H.  E.  Webb,  superintendent  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Navigation  Company,  in  November  1912  said:  "  The  strait 
is  navigable  three  months  a  year  for  ordinary  vessels,  but  to 
smaller  craft  navigation  is  open  for  five  months." 

Bishop  Lofthouse,  who  has  spent  more  than  twenty  years 
in  mission  work  throughout  what  was  the  district  of  Keewatin, 
says  that  the  Hudson  Straits  are  just  as  safe  for  navigation,  or 
will  be  when  they  are  properly  lighted,  as  the  straits  of  Belle 

1  M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  6.         *  M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  6. 

^  M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  6.         *  Hudson's  Bay  Herald,  October  2,  1913. 


HUDSON  BAY  AND  STRAIT  65 

Isle,  more  so  in  fact;   for  there  are  more  accidents  at  Belle 
Isle  than  in  the  Hudson  Straits.^ 

Commander  Gordon,  on  his  return  from  his  second  cruise, 
gave  the  following  opinion:  "If  we  regard  the  presence  of 
field  ice  as  the  only  barrier,  the  information  which  we  have 
got  would  point  to  the  months  of  July,  August,  September, 
and  October  as  being  the  months  in  which  the  straits  are 
passable.  As  a  rule,  in  July  there  will  be  delays,  but  to 
vessels  strengthened  and  sheathed  there  would  be  no  danger 
making  the  passage.  All  the  inhabitants  of  the  Labrador, 
the  straits,  and  the  bay,  spoken  to  on  the  subject,  agreed  in 
stating  that  the  ice  movements  this  year  were  much  later  than 
the  average;  at  Fort  Churchill  the  season  was  fully  a  month 
late,  and  on  the  Labrador  three  weeks,  so  that  I  think  that 
it  will  be  found  that  on  the  average  four  months  will  be  the 
length  of  the  season  for  practical  navigation  by  steam  vessels 
which  would  be  freight  carriers.  There  have  been,  I  am 
informed,  seasons  when  the  straits  were  clear  of  ice  in  the 
month  of  June,  but  they  are,  according  to  the  logs  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  ships,  quite  exceptional.  Captain  Hawes  spoke 
of  such  being  the  case  only  once  in  his  experience  of  fourteen 
years,  and  the  dates  which  I  have  seen  of  the  arrival  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  vessels  at  their  ports  of  destination  show  no 
arrival  earlier  than  August."  ^ 

Commander  Wakeham  in  summing  up  the  report  of  the 
cruise  of  the  Diana  in  1897  wrote  thus:  "  I  now  conclude  this 
part  of  the  report  by  saying  that  I  absolutely  agree  with 
Captain  Gordon  in  fixing  the  date  for  the  opening  of  naviga- 
tion in  Hudson  Strait,  for  commercial  purposes,  by  suitable 
vessels,  at  from  July  i  to  10.  I  do  not  consider  that  the 
strait  can  be  successfully  navigated  in  June.  Such  ships  as 
the  Diana  might  force  a  passage  through,  but  these  vessels 
would  be  useless  for  commercial  purposes.  They  have  to  be 
so  braced  and  strengthened  that  they  are  impossible  freight 
carriers.  I  consider  that  navigation  should  close  from 
October  15  to  20.  I  would  not  dread  the  ice  in  October, 
though  there  is  always  a  chance  of  the  western  end  of 
^  Press  of  Fall,  1913.  'M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  10. 

E 


ee  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

the  strait  being  blocked  by  the  Fox  Channel  ice  between 
Nottingham  and  Digges,  or  even  about  Charles  Island.  I 
believe,  however,  that  as  westerly  winds  prevail  at  this  season 
the  block  would  not  be  permanent  and  a  passage  will  generally 
be  found  along  the  Labrador  shore,  which  is  bold  and  good. 
In  Captain  Hawes'  journal  at  Churchill,  which  is  certainly 
the  most  available  harbour  on  the  western  shore  of  the  bay, 
I  found  that  on  October  i,  1895,  his  men  were  off  hunting  on 
snowshoes,  and  there  had  been  good  snowshoeing  for  ten 
days.  Of  course  the  harbour  does  not  freeze  over  before  the 
end  of  October,  but  for  some  time  before  it  closes  it  would 
not  be  safe  for  vessels,  owing  to  the  rush  of  the  ice  in  the 
strong  current,  .  .  .  We  were  favoured  with  a  mild  and 
comparatively  calm  month,  yet  the  risks  of  navigation  were 
so  great  that  I  have  no  hesitation  whatever  in  saying  that, 
after  the  last  date  which  I  have  given  above,  it  would  be  foUy 
to  think  of  carrying  on  any  commercial  traffic  through  the 
strait.  I  would,  therefore,  fix  October  20  as  the  extreme 
limit  of  safe  navigation  in  the  fall.  There  is  another  and 
serious  obstacle  to  the  later  navigation  of  the  strait  which  I 
have  not  seen  mentioned  elsewhere — that  is,  the  blocking  of 
the  eastern  entrance  of  the  strait  by  the  descent  of  the 
Baffin's  Bay  ice.  ...  It  is  carried  right  across  the  mouth 
of  Hudson  Strait,  which  is  only  separated  from  Frobisher  Bay 
by  Resolution  Island,  and  on  down  the  Labrador  shore  to  the 
north-east  coast  of  Newfoundland.  It  moves  on  and  off  shore 
with  the  wind.  As  described  by  HaU,  it  is  a  heavy  pinnacled 
ice,  into  which  it  would  not  be  safe  to  put  a  loaded  ship  during 
the  end  of  October.  .  .  .  This  pack  has,  therefore,  to  be 
reckoned  with  by  every  one  coming  out  of  Hudson  Strait  during 
the  end  of  October.  It  has  been  down  as  early  as  October  15  ; 
we  saw  nothing  of  it  on  the  evening  of  October  30  last,  but  it 
was  snowing  heavily  at  the  time,  and  we  might  have  passed 
close  to  the  pack  without  seeing  it.  It  could  not  have  been 
far  away,  as  the  ice  was  in  sight  from  Belle  Isle  during  the  first 
days  of  December.  Given  a  drift  of  15  miles  a  day,  which  is 
not  an  excessive  allowance,  it  must  have  been  past  the  mouth 
of  Hudson  Strait  on  November  i.    Therefore,  for  all  the 


HUDSON  BAY  AND  STRAIT  ^y 

reasons  I  have  enumerated  ^  I  consider  October  20  as  the 
extreme  limit  of  safe  navigation  in  the  fall."  ^ 

Lieutenant  Schwatka,  of  the  United  States  navy,  in  com- 
mand of  one  of  the  many  expeditions  searching  for  relics  of 
Franklin,  wrote:  "  I  was  in  Hudson  Bay  and  Straits  and 
adjoining  countries  about  two  years  and  a  quarter,  and  during 
that  time  saw  considerable  of  the  navigation  of  those  bodies  of 
water,  and  discussed  the  subject  very  often  with  navigators 
who  had  spent  very  many  years  therein,  principally  American 
whaling  captains,  their  officers  and  crew.  From  my  experi- 
ence and  their  conversation,  I  thought  the  straits  and  bay 
could  be  considered  navigable  for  at  least  two  months  of  the 
year  for  sailing  craft  and  this  would  probably  be  more  than 
doubled  for  steam.  Of  course,  the  bay  is  navigable  much 
earlier  and  later  than  the  straits,  and  the  above  estimate  is  for 
the  latter.  Again,  a  ship  strengthened  for  the  ice  might  pro- 
long these  times  on  each  end  considerably,  and  a  complete 
hydrographic  survey  of  the  straits,  giving  all  possible  har- 
bours of  refuge,  would  show  that  there  is  less  danger  than  there 
is  generally  supposed.  Signal  stations  on  prominent  points 
could  also  materially  assist  vessels  essaying  the  passage  by  a 
simple  code  expressing  the  conditions  of  the  ice."  ^ 

J.  W.  Tyrrell,  who  has  gone  through  the  straits  several  times, 
writes:  "The  strait  can,  in  my  opinion,  be  reUed  upon  for 
unobstructed  navigation  from  July  15  to  November  i,  with 
a  possible  extension  of  two  weeks  at  either  end.  ...  I 
would  say  that  the  proposition  to  open  up  a  route  for  com- 
merce through  Hudson  Bay  and  Strait  is,  in  my  opinion,  a 
wise  and  perfectly  feasible  move,  both  because  of  the  service 
it  will  render  in  developing  the  local  resources  of  the  country, 
and  because  of  the  additional  transportation  facilities  it  will 
afford  for  the  products  of  Western  Canada."  ^ 

Mr,  Tyrrell  has  also  said:  "As  to  icebergs,  they  are  occa- 
sionally met  with  in  Hudson  Straits,  being  sometimes  carried 
in  along  the  north  shore  by  the  prevailing  current  from  Davis 
Strait,  but  they  are  by  no  means  of  frequent  occurrence, 

^M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  13.  ^M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  14. 

*  Tyrrell,  op.  cit.  p.  249. 


68  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

and  not  one  tenth  as  numerous  as  off  the  strait  of  Belle 
Isle." 

The  European  Magazine  and  London  Review  for  1797  has 
the  following  on  the  navigation  of  Hudson  Bay  and  Strait: 
"  The  ships  employed  in  the  trade  pass  the  straits  the  begin- 
ning of  August  and  return  in  September.  The  navigation  is 
very  safe,  not  a  ship  being  lost  in  twenty  years.  It  is  supposed 
that  were  the  trade  to  be  laid  open,  the  exports  thither  might 
be  exceedingly  enlarged."  ^ 

G.  Halcrow,  a  retired  factor  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company, 
and  a  resident  of  the  Pas,  who  has  lived  forty-five  years  or 
more  in  the  Hudson  Bay  district,  eight  of  which  have  been 
spent  on  the  bay,  has  passed  through  the  strait  several  times. 
His  opinion  is  that  navigation  by  that  route  is  possible  eight 
months  in  the  year. 

We  have  saved  for  the  last  the  opinions  of  the  men  who, 
foreseeing  the  possibihties  of  navigation  as  no  doubt  science 
will  eventually  make  them,  go  so  far  as  expressing  the  opinion 
that  boats,  with  the  help  of  proper  lighthouses,  wireless 
telegraphy  and  special  construction,  should  be  able  to  cross 
from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  Hudson  Bay  and  vice  versa  the 
year  round. 

The  most  quoted  of  these  opinions  has  been  that  of  Dr. 
Bell,  F.R.G.S.,  who,  in  nine  years,  made  seventeen  trips  to 
Hudson  Bay  with  the  several  government  cruises:  "It  is 
impossible,"  says  Mr.  Bell,  "  that  there  should  be  at  any  time 
in  the  twelve  months  difficulty  in  navigating  the  straits,  for 
they  are  upon  tide  water,  and  more  than  that,  the  waters  of 
the  Gulf  Stream  come  back  this  way  from  the  north  of  the 
Coast  of  Europe.  There  may  be  some  little  difficulty  near 
the  shore  at  some  time  of  the  year,  but  I  do  not  think  it  will 
ever  be  necessary  to  have  ice-breaking  boats.  Why,  naviga- 
tion through  the  straits  should  be  particularly  easy,  because, 
while  there  may  at  times  be  floating  ice,  there  are  no  rocks 
and  no  islands  upon  which  to  go  ashore."  ^ 

The  opinion  of  Captain  J.  Hackland,  who  was  employed  by 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  is  not  less  categorical:  "The 
1  Tyrrell,  op.  cit.  p.  249.  '  Hudson's  Bay  Herald,  March  7,  1912. 


HUDSON  BAY  AND  STRAIT  69 

straits  are  open  the  year  round  and  never  freeze.  There  is 
no  reason  why  steamships  should  not  navigate  the  straits  at 
any  time  of  the  year.  The  navigation  of  Hudson  Bay  and 
Straits  is  not  dangerous ;  there  are  no  shoals  and  very  few  fogs. 
During  sixteen  years  of  navigation  of  Hudson  Bay,  we  were 
never  impeded  by  the  fogs."  ^ 

Walter  Dixon,  twenty  years  employed  in  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  is  of  the  same  opinion:  "  I  have  reason  to 
believe  that  the  Hudson's  Straits  and  a  great  body  of  the  bay 
proper  are  navigable  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  and  afford  no 
practical  difficulty  to  ordinary  navigation.  Icebergs  are  not 
formed  in  the  Hudson  Bay  or  Straits,  nor  can  they  get  there 
as  far  as  I  am  aware.  Hudson  Bay  is  less  subject  to  storms 
than  the  Great  Lakes.  From  what  I  have  observed  of  the 
movement  of  ice  in  Hudson  Bay  during  the  year,  I  am  per- 
fectly assured  that  an  ordinary  iron  screw  steamer  would  never 
have  any  difficulty  in  getting  through  or  round  that  which  is 
largely  met  with  in  the  bay  or  straits.  The  chief  reason  why 
old  sailing  vessels  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  often  met 
with  detention  in  the  ice  was,  and  is,  that  at  the  season  when 
there  is  pack  ice,  there  is  generally  very  little  wind,  and 
sailing  vessels  are  consequently  as  helpless  amongst  the  ice 
as  they  would  be  in  a  dead  calm  in  the  middle  of  the  Atlantic 
or  elsewhere."  ^ 

In  the  early  fall  of  1913,  dwelling  upon  the  objections  that 
have  been  advanced  from  time  to  time  by  not  altogether 
disinterested  individuals  against  the  navigability  of  Hudson 
Bay  and  Strait,  H.  E.  Penrose,  of  s.s.  Bonaveniure,  which 
made  two  trips  to  Port  Nelson  in  the  season  of  that  year, 
expressed  his  opinion  thus:  "  With  the  erecting  of  the  high- 
power  wireless  station  at  Nelson,  in  conjunction  with  the 
proposed  chain  along  the  bay  to  the  entrance  of  the  strait, 
and  possibly  a  government  scout  operating  along  the  track, 
masters  of  incoming  vessels  would  be  in  possession  of  full 
information  regarding  the  condition  of  the  route  many  hours 
before  entering  the  straits.  Up  to  the  present  a  certain 
amount  of  prejudice  has  been  felt  against  Hudson  Strait.  It 
^  M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  6.  ^  M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  6. 


70  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

was  uncharted,  and  very  little  of  the  existing  conditions 
known,  except  at  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  post,  which 
knowledge  never  appears  to  have  been  published.  It  was  not 
so  many  years  ago  the  Persian  Gulf  was  looked  upon  as  being 
one  of  the  world's  worst  places  for  navigation;  but  cargo 
was  offered,  ships  went,  and  to-day  there  is  a  large  trade  in 
that  direction.  The  Bay  of  Biscay  still  has  its  terrors  to 
many  travellers,  but  it  is  the  last  remains  of  an  old  prejudice 
which  arose  in  the  time  of  sailing  ships,  when  it  often  took  a 
week  and  more  to  cross,  during  which  time  it  was  highly 
probable  something  of  Atlantic  unpleasantness  would  manifest 
itself.  With  the  march  of  time  old  prejudices  die  out,  to  give 
way  to  the  necessities  of  modern  life,  and  our  fears  of  to-day 
are  laughed  at  to-morrow." 

The  reader  will  draw  his  own  conclusions  from  the  perusal 
of  these  various  opinions;  he  will,  of  course,  note  that  some 
are  possibly  too  cautious  and  others  probably  too  optimistic. 

In  closing  this  chapter  we  cannot  resist  the  desire  of  quoting 
again  the  gentle  New  York  writer,  whose  conception  of  pro- 
gress puts  to  shame  the  effeminate  weaklings  who  find  their 
way  into  the  sanctimis  of  some  of  this  country's  largest  and 
most  advertised  newspapers,  and  into  the  very  precincts 
of  its  legislative  chambers. 

"  After  giving  an  account  of  three  wrecks  in  four  years,  I 
hope  it  may  not  seem  inconsistent  to  say  that  I  believe  the 
next  century  will  see  a  Hudson's  Bay  route  to  Europe.  What 
— ^you  say — ^after  telling  of  three  wrecks  in  four  years  ?  Yes — 
what  Atlantic  port  does  not  have  six  wrecks  in  ten  years? 
New  York  and  Montreal  have  more.  If  the  Hudson's  Bay 
route  is  not  fit  for  navigation,  the  country  must  make  it  j&t 
for  navigation.  Of  telegraphs,  shelters,  lighthouses,  there 
is  not  now  one.  Canals  have  been  dug  for  less  cause  than 
the  Upper  Narrows  of  Hudson  Straits.  If  Peter  the  Great 
had  waited  till  St.  Petersburg  was  a  fit  site  for  a  city,  there 
would  have  been  no  St.  Petersburg.  He  made  it  fit.  The 
same  problem  confronts  north-west  America  to-day.  It  is 
absurd  that  a  population  of  millions  has  no  seaport  nearer  than 
2000  miles.     Churchill  or  York  would  be  seaports  in  the 


HUDSON  BAY  AND  STRAIT  71 

middle  of  the  continent.  Of  course,  there  would  be  wrecks 
and  difficulties.  The  wrecks  are  part  of  the  toll  we  pay  for 
harnessing  the  sea.  The  difficulties  are  what  make  nations 
great.  One  day  was  the  delay  allowed  the  fur  ships  for  the 
straits.  Who  has  not  waited  longer  than  one  day  to  enter 
New  York  harbour  or  Montreal  ?  "  ^ 

'  Laut,  op.  cit.  p.  313  e<  seq. 


72  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

CHAPTER  X 

POLITICAL  HISTORY  OF  HUDSON   BAY  RAILWAY 

Although  the  agitation  for  the  construction  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Railway  may  be  traced  back  as  early  as  the  middle 
eighties  when  Hugh  Sutherland,  rightly  called  the  father  of 
the  project,  received  a  land  grant  from  Sir  John  Macdonald's 
government,  and  actually  built  40  miles  out  of  Winnipeg 
before  his  resources  failed,  the  real  movement,  with  any 
appearance  of  success,  did  not  start  until  the  formation  of 
the  Provinces  of  Saskatchewan  and  Alberta  in  1905.  True, 
during  the  campaign  for  the  Federal  Elections  the  preceding 
year,  a  plank,  approving  of  the  project  as  providing  a  cheap 
and  direct  outlet  for  the  products  of  Western  Canada,  had 
been  included  in  the  platforms  of  the  two  pohtical  parties: 
the  Canadian  Trade  Review  of  Montreal  on  December  18, 
1903,  had  given  comparative  figures  showing  that  Winnipeg, 
Duluth,  and  St.  Paul  would  be  602,  473,  and  144  miles  closer 
respectively  to  Liverpool  via  Hudson  Bay  than  via  Montreal 
for  the  first  and  New  York  for  the  other  two :  the  London 
Times  of  November  6,  1903,  had  dealt  at  length  with  the  value 
of  Hudson  Bay  to  Canada  as  a  new  route  for  the  transportation 
of  its  grain,  paper,  mineral,  timber,  and  fur  wealth:  a  few 
days  after  the  appearance  of  this  last  article,  Mr.  A.  B.  Ayles- 
worth,  speaking  at  a  University  banquet  in  Toronto,  P.  T. 
M'Grath  in  the  North  American  Review,  and  an  editorial  in 
the  Toronto  Star  had  dealt  with  the  resources  of  the  bay  and 
the  country  adjacent:  nevertheless  the  elections  held  in  1905 
in  the  two  newly  formed  provinces  marked  the  time  at  which 
proper  attention  really  began  to  be  given  to  the  subject. 

On  January  10,  1905,  Commissioner  A.  P.  Low,  in  an 
address  at  Ottawa,  had  explained  and  advocated  the 
Hudson  Bay  route,  showing  that,  on  account  of  the 
shorter  distance,  at  one-half  a  cent  a  ton  per  mile,  the  saving 


HUDSON  BAY  RAILWAY  73 

per  bushel  of  wheat  would  be  fifteen  cents  on  the  whole 
trip  to  Europe,  or  $9,000,000  on  60,000,000  bushels.  Speak- 
ing at  Winnipeg  on  February  2,  J.  W.  Tyrrell,  who  had  made 
four  trips  through  Hudson  Strait  and  five  across  the  bay,  had 
said:  "  I  have  been  strongly  impressed  with  the  great  value 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  and  the  Strait  route,  and  I  am  firmly 
convinced  that  it  is  bound  to  be  in  the  no  very  distant  future 
the  great  outlet  for  the  produce  of  the  Canadian  North  West." 
Among  the  resolutions  passed  by  the  Associated  Boards  of 
Trade  of  Western  Canada  assembled  in  convention  at  Regina 
in  June  and  July  1905  the  eighth  had  supported  the  Hudson 
Bay  Railway  project. 

With  these  valued  expressions  of  sentiment  fresh  on  their 
minds,  the  delegates  at  the  Liberal  and  Provincial  Rights  or 
Conservative  Conventions  of  Saskatchewan  and  Alberta, 
necessarily  embodied  in  their  respective  platforms  planks 
favouring  the  immediate  construction  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Railway.  The  Liberals,  however,  advocated  the  building  of 
the  railway  by  the  Federal  Government  as  a  national  under- 
taking, to  be  operated,  when  completed,  by  an  independent 
commission,  while  the  Conservatives  would  have  it  that  the 
Une  should  be  built  jointly  by  the  three  western  provinces, 
to  be  owned,  controlled,  and  operated  jointly  by  them  in  the 
interests  of  the  western  people.  In  the  course  of  the  cam- 
paigns which  preceded  the  elections,  the  Hon.  Walter  Scott 
in  Saskatchewan  argued  that  the  project  was  essentially  a 
Dominion  Government  affair  and  the  Provinces  should  not  be 
expected  to  bear  a  cost  of  $20,000,000.  Speaking  at  Regina 
on  December  i,  a  few  days  before  the  elections,  the  Hon. 
Frank  Oliver,  Minister  of  the  Interior  in  the  Laurier  cabinet, 
in  criticising  the  stand  taken  on  the  question  by  the  Opposition 
contended:  "The  endorsement  of  the  Haultain  proposal 
would  mean  the  relief  of  the  Dominion  Government  from 
the  construction  of  that  railway  so  far  as  the  people  of 
Saskatchewan  were  concerned  or  would  mean  that  the 
prospect  of  a  railway  to  the  bay  would  be  indefinitely  post- 
poned. The  Scott  govermnent  reaHses  the  desirability  of 
the  construction  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway,  but  it  also 


74  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

recognises  that  past  and  present  Dominion  Governments 
have  accepted  that  as  a  Dominion  responsibility,  and  they 
propose  to  hold  the  Dominion  to  it." 

The  electors  returned  a  majority  of  Liberal  members  in 
both  provinces.  So  much  attention  had  been  given  to  the 
question  of  the  Hudson  Bay  route  that  it  became  quite 
evident  that  the  Federal  authorities  would  take  notice  of  the 
demands  of  the  west,  and  begin  work  at  the  earliest  oppor- 
tunity: in  his  manifesto  of  December  2,  the  Hon.  Walter 
Scott  had  said:  "  We  have  been  obeying  the  direction  of  the 
Saskatchewan  Liberal  Convention  by  urging  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Road  project  on  the  Federal  authorities  and  not  without 
success.  I  have  now  received  assurance  that  the  Dominion 
Government  admit  this  project  to  be  a  national  undertaking, 
and  that  they  will  not  deny  their  responsibility." 

The  elections  over,  the  enthusiasm  in  favour  of  the  northern 
route  did  not  subside.  Every  public  body,  political  or 
economical,  which  met  in  1906  passed  resolutions  further 
approving  of  the  project  and  urging  its  early  completion. 
The  province  of  Ontario  itself  began  to  seriously  wake  up  to 
the  importance  of  having  railway  connections  with  Hudson 
Bay,  and,  as  a  result,  the  T.  &  N.O.  was  a  source  of  much 
comment  and  public  consideration  in  that  province  during 
1906;  opinions  were  vented  by  the  Toronto  Globe  and  other 
eastern  newspapers  that  this  Hue  must  eventually  be  extended 
to  James  Bay.     Dominion  help  was  sought  and  refused. 

In  the  meantime  the  Canadian  Northern  Railway  began 
construction  on  their  Hudson  Baj^  branch  from  Etoimami,  now 
Hudson  Bay  Junction,  to  the  Pas,  and  a  number  of  companies, 
following  a  speech  by  Sir  Wilfrid  Laurier  favouring  the 
immediate  construction  of  a  railway  to  Hudson  Bay  for  the 
development  of  the  countries  bordering  thereon,  applied  for 
charters  for  the  extension  of  their  systems  northward:  by 
the  close  of  1906  the  Dominion  Government  had  issued  eight 
such  charters  for  lines  to  Canada's  inland  sea. 

One  after  another  the  reports  of  seamen  and  others  who  had 
visited  the  northern  waters  were  unearthed,  and  their  state- 
ments showing  the  immense  saving  to  be  effected  in  trans- 


HUDSON  BAY  RAILWAY  75 

portation  charges  by  the  shortening  of  the  grain  route  by 
1000  miles  were  published:  hardly  any  attention  was  paid 
to  the  obstacles  in  the  way,  such  as  danger  from  ice,  short 
season,  etc.  The  new  route  was  commercially  desirable, 
public  opinion  considered  it  commercially  practicable. 
Manitoba's  Leader  of  Opposition  speaking  at  Winnipeg  on 
November  13  went  so  far  as  saying  that  if  the  Dominion 
Government  would  not  take  up  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  the 
Liberals  of  Manitoba,  Saskatchewan,  and  Alberta  would  do  so, 
thereby  supplementing  what  Hon.  Walter  Scott  had  stated 
in  Ottawa  on  July  26:  "  After  all  is  said  and  done  the  people 
of  Western  Canada  refuse  to  take  their  eyes  off  the  Hudson's 
Bay  route.  For  twenty  years  they  have  been  looking  that 
way.  But  for  my  determination  to  leave  no  stone  unturned 
to  bring  about  action  upon  this  project,  I  should  not  have 
remained  here  so  long.  It  is  now  brought  to  the  point  where 
concrete  terms  are  being  considered.  The  Prime  Minister  is 
most  favourably  impressed  and  I  have  the  utmost  confidence 
that  the  Hudson's  Bay  Railway  will,  within  a  comparatively 
short  time,  be  an  actuality."  This  declaration  of  the  Sas- 
katchewan Premier  was  the  result  of  the  resolution  passed 
unanimously  in  his  House,  declaring  the  construction  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  Railway  "  necessary  for  the  commerce  of  Canada 
and  for  the  full  development  of  the  agricultural  and  other 
resources  of  the  Dominion." 

Interest  in  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  continued  in  1907: 
the  project  was  regarded  as  the  most  important  one  before 
the  country,  and  as  such  was  introduced  in  debate  in 
the  Senate  on  February  6  by  Hon.  D.  Ferguson,  and  in 
the  Commons  a  few  days  later,  February  22,  by  Mr.  W.  E. 
Knowles,  the  latter  contending  that  the  building  of  the  line 
was  urgently  needed,  eminently  feasible,  and  had  become  a 
national  question.  All  the  western  members  strongly  sup- 
ported the  project.  In  this  they  received  the  endorsement  of 
Hon.  G,  E.  Foster  on  the  Opposition  side.  Sir  Wilfrid  Laurier 
himself,  referring  to  the  standing  provision  in  the  Statutes  of  a 
subsidy  offer  of  12,000  acres  of  land  along  the  route  of  such 
railway,  made  the  following  important  statement:    "  If  the 


^6  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

subsidy,  the  aid  which  has  been  offered,  has  not  been  sufficient 
to  procure  the  construction  of  the  railway,  I  agree,  for  my  part, 
that  the  time  has  come  when  we  should  make  a  new  effort  and 
provide  some  means  of  building  it,  I  agree  altogether  with 
what  has  been  said  by  my  hon.  friend  from  North  Toronto 
(Mr.  Foster),  that  the  time  has  come  for  the  construction  of 
this  railway,  and  I  may  say  to  my  hon.  friend  who  has 
brought  this  question  to  the  attention  of  the  House  (Mr. 
Knowles)  and  to  the  members  of  the  House,  especially  of 
my  friends  from  the  North-West  Territories,  who  are  par- 
ticularly interested  in  this  matter,  that  at  this  very  moment 
the  subject  is  engaging  the  attention  of  the  government." 

Meantime  articles  appeared  in  British,  Canadian,  and 
American  reviews  and  other  journals  praising  the  project, 
which,  however,  had  also  its  opponents  and  critics.  Senator 
J.  P.  B.  Casgrain,  in  the  Montreal  Herald,  considered  the 
reports  too  glowing ;  and  Professor  R.  W.  Ellis,  in  the  University 
Magazine,  could  see  nothing  worth  stopping  the  public 
attention:  his  line  of  argiunent  was,  "that  the  much-talked- 
of  Hudson's  Bay  Railway,  if  built  immediately,  cannot  hope 
to  prove  a  financial  success.  Owing  to  the  keen  competition 
of  the  aU-water  route  by  the  Great  Lakes,  it  will  not  be  able 
to  handle  the  Manitoba  grain  or  general  produce.  What 
traffic  it  might  hope  to  obtain  is  at  present  so  small  and  the 
time  of  navigation  so  short,  that  to  make  the  road  pay,  if 
built  immediately,  seems  impossible." 

"  If  you  want  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  you  must  support 
us."  These  words,  adapted  from  the  many  utterances  on 
the  subject  by  the  different  political  speakers,  during  the 
Federal  campaign  of  1908,  sum  up  the  situation  in  Western 
Canada  that  year,  as  far  as  the  Hudson  Bay  route  was 
concerned.  In  spite  of  opposition  literature  printed  with  a 
view  to  warn  the  electorate  that  the  government  was  not  at 
all  in  earnest  about  the  project,  and  was  only  making  promises 
for  the  purpose  of  catching  votes,  the  definite  statement 
of  Sir  Wilfrid  Laurier  at  Niagara  Falls  on  September  18  was 
received  "  with  acclamation  by  the  people  of  the  Prairie 
Provinces." 


HUDSON  BAY  RAILWAY  77 

"  We  have  undertaken  the  construction  of  another  railway," 
said  Sir  Wilfrid,  "  the  Hudson's  Bay  Railway.  The  Hudson's 
Bay  Railway,  I  am  sure,  does  not  appeal  very  much  to  the 
people  of  Welland  County.  It  concerns  more  the  people  of 
the  west.  But  I  say  to  you,  gentlemen  of  Ontario,  and  you 
will  agree  with  me,  that  what  concerns  one  portion  of  the 
community  concerns  every  part  of  the  community.  Now, 
we  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  this  railway  is  a  necessity, 
owing  to  the  condition  in  which  our  fellow-citizens  in  the 
west  are  placed.  This  railway  will  give  an  alternative  or 
optional  route.  At  the  present  time  all  the  wheat  as  soon 
as  it  is  tracked  is  sent  out  to  Lake  Superior.  We  want  to 
provide  another  railway  by  Hudson's  Bay.  There  will  then 
be  the  present  route  and  the  Hudson's  Bay  route,  and  the 
man  who  raises  wheat  and  cattle  will  have  two  outlets  for 
his  production.  We  have  been  asked:  '  Are  you  not  going 
to  hurt  the  trade  of  the  St.  Lawrence  if  you  do  that?  '  Oh 
ye  of  httle  faith!  the  trade  of  Canada  is  too  great  even  for 
these  two  outlets.  What  we  see  coming  will  be  more  than 
sufficient  for  both  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Hudson's  Bay 
routes.  We  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  time  to 
build  this  railway  is  now;  not  to-morrow,  but  now;  and  we 
have  surveyors  in  the  field  looking  at  the  condition  of  the 
country  and  preparing  plans  for  us,  which  we  shall  be  prepared 
to  put  into  execution  as  soon  as  we  receive  them.  The 
government  will  build  the  railway,  or  rather  somebody  will 
be  entrusted  with  building  it  for  us,  but  whatever  we  do,  all 
the  terminals  and  all  the  elevators  shall  be  built  by  the 
government,  and  retained  under  all  and  every  circumstance 
by  the  government  so  as  to  insure  the  largest  measure  of 
benefit  possible  to  the  Canadian  people  in  the  North- West 
Provinces." 

Supporters  of  the  Liberal  administration  vied  with  one 
another  in  extolling  the  immense  benefits  which  would  derive 
to  the  country  in  general  and  to  western  provinces  in  particu- 
lar from  the  construction  of  the  railroad,  and  the  press  of  the 
party  in  the  prairie  provinces  proclaimed  the  project  "  the 
paramount  issue." 


78  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

The  Conservatives,  on  the  other  hand,  objected  to  the 
Liberals  claiming  all  the  merit  of  the  undertaking,  and 
expressed  scepticism  as  to  the  government's  real  intentions. 
They  reminded  the  electors  that  in  1895-96  Sir  Charles  Tupper 
had  pledged  himself  to  the  construction  of  the  line.  Speaking 
to  the  press  on  September  30,  Mr.  R.  L.  Borden  pointedly 
remarked:  "Sir  Wilfrid  Laurier  has  suddenly  discovered, 
on  the  eve  of  a  general  election,  that  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Railway  must  be  built.  The  Conservative  party  has  been 
pledged  to  the  building  of  that  railway  since  1895,  when  it 
was  promised  by  Sir  Charles  Tupper.  The  present  govern- 
ment has  reached  the  same  conclusion  in  the  thirteenth  year 
of  its  administration.  Sir  Wilfrid  Laurier  declares  that  the 
government  will  build  the  railway,  or  rather  some  party  of 
men  will  be  entrusted  with  its  building.  In  my  opinion  the 
road  should  be  built  by  the  government  immediately,  and 
under  such  conditions  as  will  ensure  absolute  and  thorough 
control  of  a  railway  to  be  paid  for  by  the  farmers  of  the  west." 

In  the  meantime  arrangements  had  been  made  whereby 
the  homesteading  area  in  South  Alberta  and  North  Manitoba 
had  been  extended  to  30,000,000  acres,  with  a  proviso  for 
selling  one-sixth  thereof  at  $3  per  acre  by  way  of  pre-emption 
to  furnish  the  necessary  credit  for  the  building  of  the  hne, 
and  the  clause  under  the  old  act  providing  a  grant  of  12,000 
acres  per  mile  for  the  same  end  had  been  rescinded.  On 
August  10  the  first  practical  step  towards  construction  had 
been  taken  in  the  departure,  from  Winnipeg,  of  four  survey 
parties  aggregating  100  men,  to  locate  the  route  of  the  railway 
out  of  the  Pas,  at  the  extreme  north  end  in  the  North- West 
Territories  of  the  Canadian  Northern  Railway,  under  the  super- 
vision of  Mr.  John  Armstrong,  B.A.,  B.Sc,  M.Can.Soc.C.E., 
appointed  chief  engineer  of  the  road. 

Besides  the  report  of  Mr.  M.  J.  Butler,  Deputy  Minister  of 
Railways  and  Canals,  wherein  the  road  and  its  advantages 
were  briefly  outhned,  "  the  darting  object  of  the  inhabitants 
west  of  the  Great  Lakes,"  as  Hon.  Walter  Scott  styled  the 
Hudson  Bay  Railway  in  one  of  his  speeches,  was  perhaps  not 
as  prominently  before  the  pubUc  in  1909  as  it  had  been  since 


HUDSON  BAY  RAILWAY  79 

1905.  In  the  Saskatchewan  House  the  government  was 
criticised  by  the  Opposition  for  the  Httle  advancement  which 
the  project  had  made  since  the  announcement  made  by  the 
provincial  premier  in  1905  that  "  the  Federal  Government 
admit  this  to  be  a  national  undertaking,  and  will  not  deny 
their  responsibility."  At  the  close  of  the  debate  a  resolution 
moved  by  H.  H.  Willway  (Conservative)  urging  upon  the 
Dominion  Government  the  immediate  construction  of  the 
railway  and  provision  at  the  present  session  of  parliament 
for  its  actual  construction,  and  that  the  lieutenant-governor 
be  asked  to  transmit  the  resolution  to  the  Dominion  authorities, 
was  passed  unanimously. 

In  the  Manitoba  House  a  long  resolution  of  T.  C.  Norris 
recapitulating  a  series  of  allegations  as  to  the  Hudson  Bay 
Railway  lands,  deahng  with  the  original  Norquay  Government 
guarantee  of  bonds — $256,000  in  1886 — the  failure  of  the 
Dominion  to  give  an  expected  land  grant,  the  defalcation  of 
the  company  concerned,  the  provincial  liability  for  interest 
and  principal,  the  final  conveyance — as  part  of  a  general  and 
wider  arrangement — ^by  the  Canadian  Northern  Railway  of 
256,000  acres  to  the  government  to  cover  this  Hability,  the 
sale  of  these  lands  back  to  the  company  in  1904  for  $400,000, 
was  voted  down  by  24  to  12  with  hardly  any  discussion,  after 
Hon.  Robert  Rogers,  Minister  of  Public  Works,  had  pointed 
out  that  "  no  one  acquainted  with  the  facts  would  claim  that 
the  Greenway  Government  acquired  the  256,000  acres  of 
Hudson's  Bay  lands,  or  that  the  present  government  had 
anything  to  do  with  those  lands." 

The  first  actual  construction  on  the  much-discussed  and 
promised  Hudson  Bay  Railway  took  place  in  the  fall  of  1910, 
when  Hon.  Geo.  Graham,  Minister  of  Railways,  turned  the 
first  sod  at  the  Pas.  This  step  had  been  foreseen  from  the 
announcement  made  in  the  speech  from  the  throne  in  the 
previous  April  that  the  construction  of  a  railway  from  the 
western  wheat  fields  to  Hudson  Bay  was  under  consideration 
by  the  government.  The  event,  however,  passed  off  very 
quietly.  In  the  winter,  work  on  the  piers  of  the  huge  850  ft. 
bridge  across  the  Saskatchewan  River  at  that   point   was 


8o  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

commenced,  to  be  abandoned  after  the  two  abutments  and 
three  piers  had  been  completed. 

In  the  course  of  Sir  Wilfrid  Laurier's  tour  of  the  west,  the 
Hudson  Bay  Railway  was  mentioned  at  every  pubUc  meeting 
held,  and  at  Melfort  the  premier  promised  that  the  line  would 
be  completed  in  three  years.  A  feature  of  the  several 
addresses  which  were  presented  to  Sir  Wilfrid  by  the  many 
grain  growers'  associations  which  approached  him,  was  the 
expressed  desire  that  the  new  railway  should  be  government 
owned  and  government  operated,  thus  defeating  the  ends  of 
the  Canadian  Northern  Railway  who,  in  building  from  Hudson 
Bay  Junction  to  the  Pas,  had  hoped  to  obtain  the  permission 
to  build  to  the  bay,  faiUng  which  they  wished  to  at  least  be 
granted  the  operation  of  the  road  once  completed  by  the 
government.  To  the  numerous  representations  made  to  him 
on  this  point,  Sir  Wilfrid  Laurier  would  answer  so  as  not  to 
commit  himself  or  his  government.  He  however  stated 
positively:  "  I  have  stated  that  we  should  have  to  build  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Railway.  I  think  we  are  prepared  for  that, 
and  you  will  require  no  argmnent  from  me  to  prove  to  you 
that  it  is  required."  No  doubt,  the  turning  of  the  first  sod 
on  the  new  railway  by  Hon.  Geo.  Graham,  on  September  28, 
was  a  direct  result  of  the  impression  left  on  the  mind  of  the 
Prime  Minister,  during  the  western  tour,  that  the  people  of 
the  Western  Provinces  had  to  have  this  road,  and  the  sooner 
the  better. 

With  the  advent  of  spring  in  191 1,  the  work  on  the  bridge 
at  the  Pas  stopped,  and  throughout  the  summer  nothing  much 
was  done  on  the  balance  of  the  road.  In  the  early  fall  the 
contract  for  the  first  185  miles  of  the  road  was  given  at 
$3,078,354  to  Mr.  J.  D.  M'Arthur  of  Winnipeg,  who  immedi- 
ately began  putting  in  suppHes  and  clearing  the  right  of  way. 
Then  the  Laurier  Administration  was  defeated  at  the  polls  on 
the  reciprocity  question  in  the  latter  part  of  September,  and 
the  new  Minister  of  Railways,  the  Hon.  Frank  Cochrane, 
issued  orders  to  stop  the  work  pending  an  investigation  into 
the  project. 

In  the  meantime  deputations  from  different  western  cities 


HUDSON  BAY  RAILWAY  8i 

travelled  to  Ottawa  to  interview  the  government  on  the 
advisability  of  changing  the  starting  point  of  the  railway  from 
the  Pas  to  some  other  town.  Their  representations  were 
promised  consideration,  but  towards  the  end  of  the  winter 
orders  were  issued  to  resume  work,  and  when  the  spring  of 
1912  came  the  contractors  had  from  300  to  400  men  on  the 
job.  Soon  the  announcement  was  made  that  the  second 
section  of  the  road  from  Thicket  Portage  to  Split  Lake,  68 
miles,  was  also  under  contract  to  the  same  firm  at  $1,811,275, 
and  after  a  visit  in  person  to  the  bay  from  the  head  of 
Lake  Winnipeg  on  September  29,  the  Minister  of  Railways 
announced  that  the  contract  for  the  third  and  last  section  of 
the  road,  165  miles,  had  also  been  given  to  Mr.  M'Arthur  at 
$3,668,128,  and  that  the  line  would  be  completed  in  1914. 
Not  much  progress,  however,  was  accomplished  in  1912  besides 
the  grading  of  some  50  miles  of  the  road. 

Arrangements  were  also  made  the  same  year  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  Railways  and  Canals  for  sending  a  thoroughly  equipped 
expedition  to  Hudson  Ba3^  and  in  June  the  Arctic  and  Minto 
left  to  make  surveys  and  investigate  the  coast  between  Fort 
Churchill  and  Port  Nelson,  and  to  make  a  magnetic  survey 
of  the  bay  and  strait.  Decision  as  to  the  harbour  to 
be  chosen  as  terminus  was  withheld  pending  investigation 
made  at  the  two  ports  by  Mr.  Hazen,  a  port  engineer  of  vast 
experience. 

Throughout  the  year  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  project 
attracted  considerable  attention,  partly  due  to  the  extension 
of  the  boundaries  of  Manitoba,  which  were  made  to  include 
both  Fort  Churchill  and  Port  Nelson.  The  programme  of 
the  Manitoba  Government  for  the  year  included  a  branch  line 
from  Winnipeg  to  connect  with  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  north 
of  the  Pas,  via  Grand  Rapids,  thus  carrying  out  the  policy  of 
the  late  Hon.  John  Norquay. 

Apart  from  the  usual  Hudson  Bay  Railway  resolutions,  the 
last  session  of  the  second  Saskatchewan  Legislature  urged  that 
the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  and  a  hne  of  steamers  thence  to 
Great  Britain  were  essential  to  provincial  progress:  this 
was  included  in  the  platform  of  the  Liberal  party  during 

F 


82  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

the  campaign  of  the  general  elections  in  that  province  the 
same  year. 

The  year  1913  saw  some  material  progress.  In  the  latter 
part  of  the  winter  of  1912-13  the  contractors  teamed  immense 
quantities  to  the  front  from  the  Pas  and  from  the  head  of  Lake 
Winnipeg.  The  bridge  over  the  Saskatchewan,  on  which  work 
had  been  resumed  in  the  winter  of  1911-12,  was  completed, 
and  in  the  early  part  of  May  the  first  rail  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Railway  was  laid.  Besides  several  miles  of  yard  and  gravel 
pit  track,  about  80  miles  were  laid  before  the  contractors,  who 
had  been  constantly  delayed  by  the  lack  of  ties,  stopped  work 
in  the  middle  of  December. 

The  work  of  1913  included  also  the  erection  of  two  wireless 
stations,  one  each  at  the  Pas  and  Port  Nelson,  and  the  sending 
of  a  dozen  boats  to  the  latter  point  loaded  with  men,  supplies, 
and  material  to  start  work  on  the  terminals  at  the  bay  end. 
Owing  to  lack  of  charts,  buoys,  lighthouses,  and  unloading 
facilities,  the  Alette,  which  had  the  wireless  station  on  board, 
was  sunk :  apart  from  some  minor  but  most  essential  pieces  of 
the  sending  apparatus,  the  station  was  salvaged,  and  by  the 
j^yyv  gj^^  ^£  ^YiQ  year  was  erected  and  receiving  messages  as  its 
sister  station  at  the  Pas.  The  Cearenz,  chartered  from  the 
John  F.  O'Meara  Co.  of  New  York  to  carry  lumber  and  coal, 
was  also  wrecked:  the  Alcazar,  the  Bonaventure,  the  Bellaven- 
ture,  the  Sindbad,ihe  Beothic  made  the  journey  without  mishap, 
except  for  the  latter,  which  met  with  an  accident  in  the  Belle 
Isle  Strait.  The  Bonaventure  made  two  trips,  fetching  the 
Port  Nelson  dredge  on  her  second  voyage.  Gasolene  lighters 
and  two  barges  were  also  among  the  boats  taken  to  Port 
Nelson. 

As  every  other  big  project,  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  has 
its  detractors:  without  a  single  exception,  however,  the 
knockers  are  eastern  men.  The  whole  of  Western  Canada 
to  the  Pacific  coast  favours  the  road  and  expects  great  things 
from  it:  even  the  inhabitants  of  the  northern  United  States 
believe  that  it  will  eventually  considerably  reduce  the  cost  of 
transportation,  both  on  imports  and  exports.  Among  the 
eastern  papers  which  have  deemed  it  good  policy  to  ridicule 


HUDSON  BAY  RAILWAY  83 

and  otherwise  disparage  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  must  be 
quoted,  as  heading  the  list:  Saturday  Night,  The  Monetary 
Times,  and  The  Globe,  all  of  Toronto.  It  may  be  noted  that 
the  latter  supported  the  project  in  its  early  stages,  and  only 
changed  its  front  when  actual  construction  began  in  1910.^ 

^  The  data  of  this  chapter  have  been  procured  mostly  from  Castell 
Hopkins'  Canadian  Annual  Review. 


84  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


CHAPTER  XI 

CHIEF  engineer's   REPORT 

In  this  chapter  we  shall  simply  place  before  the  reader  a 
summary  of  the  report  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  surveys 
pubUshed  in  October  1909  by  Mr.  M.  J.  Butler,  Deputy 
Minister  of  Railways  and  Chief  Engineer,  In  one  particular 
the  report  was  somewhat  a  surprise  to  the  whole  country, 
in  that  it  peremptorily  recommended  Port  Nelson  as  the  best 
port  on  Hudson  Bay  over  Fort  Churchill,  which  had  always 
been  mentioned  as  the  sure  port  of  the  first  railway  to  reach 
the  shores  of  the  northern  sea:  in  fact,  in  this  prevision, 
speculators  had  already  secured  and  subdivided  considerable 
land  in  the  expectation  of  the  immense  profits  to  be  made 
when  the  route  began  being  used. 

In  his  introduction  of  Chief  Engineer  Armstrong's  ^  report, 
which  forms  the  principal  part  of  his  own  report,  Mr.  Butler 
gives  due  credit  to  the  prompt  manner  in  which  Mr.  Armstrong 
organised  his  survey  parties,  and  the  way  they  performed  their 
work. 

Entering  the  subject  from  a  practical  point  of  view,  he 
remarks  that  he  has  changed  the  estimate  of  the  chief  engineer 
of  the  road  to  provide  for  80  lb.  rails  instead  of  60  lb.,  and 
has  also  estimated  the  cost  of  the  terminals  and  equipment, 
the  latter  to  comprise  thirty -two  freight  trains  and  one 
express  train  per  day  of  twenty-four  hours. 

Approving  the  recommendation  of  Port  Nelson  as  terminus, 
he  shows  that  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  the  bay  and 
strait  be  hydrographically  surveyed,  to  arrive  at  the  position 
and  cost  of  the  necessary  lighthouses.  He  beheves  that 
information  should  also  be  secured  as  to  the  harbours  on  the 

^Mr.  Armstrong  has  severed  his  connection  with  the  Hudson  Bay- 
Railway,  and  is  now  on  the  engineering  staflE  of  the  Hudson  Bay,  Peace 
River  and  Pacific  Railway  Company.  He  has  been  replaced  by  Mr. 
J.  W.  Porter. 


CHIEF  ENGINEER'S  REPORT  85 

Labrador  coast  and  the  special  features  of  Davis  Strait,  and 
that  a  lighthouse  should  be  located  at  the  most  southerly 
end  of  Greenland. 

The  distance  from  Liverpool  to  Port  Nelson,  passing  to 
the  north  of  Ireland,  is  stated  to  be  3200  miles  against  3007 
from  Montreal  as  measured  on  a  Mercator  projection  map. 

In  order  to  give  an  idea  of  the  business  which  can  be  handled 
by  the  proposed  railway,  Mr.  Butler  says  that  the  general 
map  of  the  north-west  shows  the  areas  tributary  to  the 
Pas  and  Winnipeg :  the  Pas  is  about  the  same  distance  from 
Hudson  Bay  as  Winnipeg  is  from  the  Great  Lakes.  Drawing 
a  straight  line  from  Weyburn  to  Dauphin,^  he  shows  how  that 
part  of  the  three  western  provinces  lying  west  of  the  line  will 
form  the  Pas  territory,  while  what  there  is  east  will  continue 
to  belong  to  Winnipeg. 

With  a  0.4  or  21  feet  to  the  mile  grade,  32  trains  can  haul 
64,000,000  bushels  of  wheat  in  30  days.  As  it  is  not  probable 
that  ships  would  offer  in  suf&cient  number  to  transport  the 
grain  to  Europe  fast  enough,  a  great  proportion  would  have 
to  be  stored  until  the  following  August. 

Among  other  sources  of  traffic  may  be  mentioned:  the 
exportation  of  cattle ;  the  usual  package  freight  to  and  from 
Europe;  the  import  coal  trade  from  Nova  Scotia. 

The  cost  of  a  32-train  equipment  would  be  approximately 
$9,000,000:  it  would  furnish  employment  to  108  train  crews, 
150  telegraph  operators,  54  gangs  of  section  men,  shopmen, 
round-house  men,  superintendents,  train  and  yard  masters. 

Mr.  Butler  concludes  his  introductory  remarks  by  stating 
that  the  saving  possible  arising  to  the  farmers  of  the  west 
from  the  use  of  the  road  would  be  5  cents  ^  per  bushel,  further 
noting  that  according  to  Captain  Bernier  it  is  not  safe  for 
steamers  of  ordinary  construction  to  be  caught  in  the  vicinity 
of  Fox  Channel  after  October  15.  He  then  gives  way  for 
Mr.  Armstrong's  report. 

On  receipt  of  his  instructions  in  July  1908,  Chief  Engineer 

^  See  map  facing  p.  192. 

*  According  to  W.  Thibaudeau,  C.E.,  the  saving  would  be  15  cents. 
M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  50.     A.  P.  Low  also  says  15  cents.     Cf.  supra,  p.  7^. 


86  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Armstrong  divided  the  territory  to  cover  between  the  Pas 
and  Fort  Churchill  in  four  sections  of  about  120  miles  each. 
A  fifth  party  attended  to  purely  exploratory  work.  From 
information  obtained  on  the  ground,  it  soon  became  apparent 
that  an  examination  of  the  Nelson  route  might  prove  useful. 
For  this  reason,  on  completion  of  its  work,  the  exploratory 
party  was  reorganised  and  entrusted  with  examining  more 
thoroughly  the  Nelson  route  and  making  a  prehminary 
survey  of  Port  Nelson.  The  work  which  was  commenced 
from  the  Pas  and  Split  Lake  in  October  1908  was  completed 
in  March  and  April  1909  by  three  of  the  parties,  and  in  July 
and  August  of  the  same  year  by  the  other  two.  A  point 
worth  noting  is  that  the  health  of  the  men  throughout  the 
work  was  uniformly  good,  not  a  single  serious  accident  or 
case  of  sickness  being  recorded  on  all  the  work. 

With  no  men  on  the  job,  the  expenses  amounted  to 
$124,763.75  including  reports,  or  about  one  quarter  of  what 
it  generally  costs  for  work  of  this  nature.  The  surveys  were 
made  in  the  usual  manner  with  transit  level  and  chain. 
Contour-topography  was  taken  over  the  greater  portion  of 
the  line,  as  well  as  all  lakes,  swamps,  and  other  points  of 
interest  in  the  vicinity  of  the  line. 

The  report  of  the  chief  engineer,  in  passing,  deals  with 
natiural  resources,  Mr.  Armstrong  stating  that  they  are  of 
much  greater  value  than  generally  supposed.  The  lakes 
and  streams  which  abound  are  bordered  by  areas  of  commercial 
timber,  varying  from  a  few  acres  to  fifty  square  miles.  Only 
the  lands  along  the  lines  of  survej^  were  examined,  however, 
but  everything  indicates  that  the  same  conditions  extend  on 
either  side.  The  territory  should  be  examined  thoroughly 
by  competent  timber  cruisers. 

With  the  help  of  clearing  and  drainage,  much  agricultural 
land  will  be  made  available:  the  fact  that  these  lands  will 
be  within  a  few  hours'  run  of  an  ocean  port  may  give  them 
a  value  not  hitherto  thought  of,  and  may  cause  a  more  rapid 
settlement  than  expected.  For  years  all  kinds  of  grain  and 
vegetables  have  been  grown  successfully  at  the  inland  posts 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 


CHIEF  ENGINEER'S  REPORT  87 

Records  of  the  survej^  parties  extending  from  November 
to  March  confirm  the  reports  of  the  Meteorological  Office  that 
the  climate  is  about  the  same  as  that  of  Prince  Albert. 

Limestone  and  marble  have  been  found,  the  former  in 
unlimited  quantities  close  to  the  Pas,  the  latter  in  smaller 
quantities  at  Marble  Island  ^  in  Hudson  Bay  and  at  Fort 
Churchill.  Iron  ores,  gold,  silver,  galena,  and  mica  are  among 
the  other  minerals  to  be  found  in  the  district  visited.  Many 
varieties  of  fish  abound  in  the  lakes,  rivers,  and  in  the  bay. 
This  last  resource,  alone,  will  prove  of  great  profit  to  the 
Hudson  Bay  Railway,  over  which  the  Western  Provinces 
will  be  able  to  obtain  fresh  fish  within  twenty-four  hours  after 
it  is  caught. 

Of  the  waterways  tributary  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway 
several  are  navigable,  chief  amongst  them  the  Saskatchewan 
River  from  Edmonton  and  Medicine  Hat  and  the  Red  River 
by  Lake  Winnipeg  from  Grand  Forks.  The  discharge  of 
the  Nelson  River  is  about  200,000  cubic  feet  and  that  of  the 
Churchill  40,000  cubic  feet. 

Of  the  proposed  extensions  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway 
southerly  the  chief  one  is  that  along  the  Carrot  River  Valley, 
passing  by  the  Pasquia  Hills,  through  a  country  where 
fertile  farm  lands  and  valuable  timber  areas  are  known  to 
exist. 2 

Mr.  Armstrong  at  this  point  furnishes  data  about  the  two 
routes,  the  Churchill  and  the  Nelson.  The  first  150  miles 
are  common  to  the  two  routes.  Taking  the  Churchill  route 
first,  the  first  section,  approximately  120  miles,  is  through 
comparatively  level  or  sipiooth  country,  affording  easy  grades 

'  All  other  authors  seem  to  say  that  the  rocks  on  the  island  have 
only  the  "  appearance  "  of  marble.  Dr.  Bell  calls  them  "  light  coloured, 
fine,  grained  quartzite,  associated  with  glossy  mica  schists." — Hudson 
Bay  and  Straits,  1885. 

*  The  valley  of  Carrot  River  and  the  country  included  between  it 
and  the  main  Saskatchewan,  bounded  on  the  south  side  by  the  Birch 
Hill  range.  There  is  a  narrow  strip  on  the  Great  River,  about  five  miles 
broad,  where  the  soil  is  light  and  of  an  indifferent  quality.  The  area 
of  available  land  probably  does  not  exceed  3,000,000  acres. — [North- 
West  Territory,  by  Henry  Youle  Hind,  M.A.,  p.  32.)  It  may  be  noted 
from  the  same  report  that  the  only  district  larger  in  size  is  that  of  the 
Red  River  and  Assiniboine,  which  contains  3,500,000  acres. 


88  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

and  cheap  construction:  the  country  is  underlaid  with  lime- 
stone in  horizontal  beds.  Seventy  per  cent,  of  the  grading 
is  in  clay  loam,  thirty  per  cent,  in  sand,  gravel,  swamp  or 
muskeg.  "  It  may  be  remarked  here  that  what  is  called 
muskeg  in  this  country  is  not  a  true  muskeg,  but  would  be 
more  properly  defined  as  swamp.  Good  bottom  is  usually 
obtained  at  a  depth  of  3  or  4  feet,  and  very  seldom  exceeds 
7  or  8  feet."  Steel  bridges  will  be  required  over  the  Sas- 
katchewan and  Frog  Rivers.  The  second  section  of  120  miles 
is  through  granite  country:  rock  cuttings  will  be  necessary. 
From  the  240th  mile  to  the  360th  mile  the  roughest  country  is 
encountered,  there  being  the  rise  between  the  two  basins  of 
the  Nelson  and  the  Churchill.  The  summit  is  not  very  high, 
but  the  approaches  are  rather  sudden  and  steep.  The  fourth 
section,  extending  beyond  the  360th  mile  to  Fort  Churchill, 
will  not  require  much  yardage,  but  the  northern  70  miles 
over  the  tundra  or  barren  lands  may  prove  quite  expensive 
on  account  of  the  perpetual  frost.  The  timber  over  the  first 
two  sections  is  more  or  less  valuable :  over  sections  three  and 
four  it  is  not  worth  much  where  there  is  any.  A  third  bridge 
will  be  required  over  the  Deer  River.  The  curvature  averages 
9°  55'  per  Toaile.  Grades  .4  northbound  and  .6  southbound 
have  been  adopted. 

The  description  given  for  the  first  division  of  the  Churchill 
route  may  be  applied  in  a  general  way  to  the  whole  of  the 
Nelson  route,  with  little  rock  work,  much  clay  loam,  and 
small  percentages  of  sand,  gravel,  and  swamp:  there  is  no 
tundra  on  this  route.  The  timber  is  of  the  same  quality  as 
that  described  in  the  first  two  sections  of  the  Churchill  route. 
Sand  and  gravel,  except  on  the  last  70  or  80  miles  of  the 
Churchill  route,  are  found  in  sufficient  quantities  for  easy 
ballasting.  The  curvature  over  the  Nelson  route  averages 
about  5°  30' :  the  grade  .4  both  ways.  Two  more  bridges  are 
required,  both  over  the  Nelson,  one  at  Manitou  Rapids,  where 
the  crossing  is  particularly  favourable,  the  river  being  confined 
in  one  channel  of  less  than  350  feet  with  banks  of  perpendicular 
granite  rock  so  situated  as  to  make  it  possible  to  choose  almost 
any  desired  elevation  between  50  and  100  feet  above  the 


CHIEF  ENGINEER'S  REPORT  89 

water.  On  account  of  the  deep  water  and  the  swift  current 
— 6  to  8  miles  an  hour — either  a  single  span  or  an  arch  bridge 
will  be  necessary.  The  second,  nearer  to  Port  Nelson,  will 
be  about  3000  feet  in  length  from  grade  to  grade,  with  a 
waterway  of  1500  feet  and  the  grade  line  approximately 
80  feet  above  the  water.  Other  river  crossings  may  be  made 
with  trestles. 

The  results  of  the  surveys  at  Port  Nelson,  taking  inland 
rail  communication  and  all  other  conditions  into  considera- 
tion, seem  to  justify  the  recommendation  that  a  further 
appropriation  for  an  accurate  survey  of  that  port  be 
made  before  it  is  rejected  as  a  terminus  for  the  Hudson  Bay 
Railway.^ 

Then  follow  the  estimates  of  the  cost  of  the  road. 

The  estimate  for  clearing  is  based  on  a  right  of  way  150 
feet  wide  with  the  necessary  allowances  added  for  sidings 
and  terminals :  it  will  be  light  on  the  average,  through  spruce 
and  jack-pine  and  a  little  poplar  and  tamarack.  The  northern 
100  miles  of  the  Churchill  route  will  require  practically  no 
clearing.  The  cost  has  been  figured  at  $40  per  acre :  grubbing 
should  cost  $100  per  acre. 

To  make  sure  that  all  contingencies  will  be  covered,  the 
cost  of  grading  has  been  figured  at  35  per  cent,  in  excess  of 
what  the  profile  actually  shows,  and  a  liberal  addition  of 
yardage  has  been  provided  for  sidings  and  terminals.  The 
average  prices  adopted  are  $1.80  for  solid  rock,  65  cents  for 
loose  rock,  and  30  cents  for  earth :  in  the  latter  class  of  work, 
the  portion  from  Hudson  Bay  Junction  to  the  Pas  of  the 
Canadian  Northern  Railway,  a  much  worse  proposition  than 
is  to  be  encountered  on  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway,  was  done 
at  a  profit  for  25  cents  during  the  high-wage  period  of  1906 
and  1907. 

Access  to  the  field  of  operations  is  relatively  easy:   by  rail 

1  At  a  conference  held  by  Captain  Bernier  and  Captain  Bartlett  with 
the  Minister  of  Railways,  Honourable  F.  Cochrane,  in  February  191 3, 
it  was  agreed  that  Port  Nelson  was  the  more  desirable  of  the  two 
ports  on  Hudson  Bay,  both  by  reason  of  its  more  southerly  position 
and  because  of  the  more  favourable  approaches  from  a  navigation 
standpoint. 


90 


THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


to  the  Pas,  by  boat  along  the  first  50  miles,  by  wagon  and 
sleigh  roads  to  the  end  of  the  first  section.  The  second  section 
can  be  supplied  by  Lake  Winnipeg  and  the  third  by  the  bay, 
if  desired.  On  the  Churchill  road,  steam  shovels  will  be 
required  for  about  35  miles  near  Split  Lake :  a  little  blasting 
only  will  be  required  on  the  Nelson  road. 

Timber  for  ties,  piles,  and  temporary  work  will  be  found 
in  sufficient  quantity  on  the  first  240  miles  of  the  Churchill 
route.  Beyond  that  point  none  can  be  had:  on  the  Nelson 
route  it  can  be  procured  all  the  way  to  the  bay.  On  account 
of  low  crossings  on  other  streams  than  the  Saskatchewan, 
the  Frog,  and  the  Nelson,  Httle  piling  will  be  required.  Native 
timber  is  recommended  as  being  less  expensive.  This  is 
figured  at  50  cents  per  foot  on  the  Churchill  route  and 
40  cents  on  the  Nelson  route. 

Iron,  track  material,  switches,  etc.,  are  calculated  at  Winni- 
peg prices  plus  freight  to  the  Pas.  Track-laying  and  ballasting 
are  figured  at  $500  and  Siooo  respectively  per  mile,  including 
side  tracks  and  terminals :  the  estimate  is  based  on  the  prices 
paid  on  the  Transcontinental  Railway. 

Water  tanks  of  50,000  gallons  capacity,  costing  $5000, 
5000  feet  of  side  track  vidth  a  station  every  eight  miles  and 
accommodation  for  two  sections'  crews  every  alternate  one, 
are  among  other  estimates. 

Four  engine  divisions  are  recommended  on  the  Churchill 
route,  three  on  the  Nelson  route,  necessitating  five  sets  of 
buildings  in  the  former  and  four  in  the  latter. 

The  following  figures  for  the  two  routes  are  reproduced 
from  Mr.  Armstrong's  report: 


Clearing 
Grubbing 
Grading 
Piling     . 

Timber  in  culverts 
Timber    in    bridges    and 
trestles    . 


CHURCHILL  ROUTE 

Unit 

Quantity 

Rate 

Amount 

S 

$ 

.  Acre 

7,000 

40.00 

280,000 

.  Acre 

600 

100.00 

60,000 

.  C.  yd. 

9,740,000 

.50 

4,870,000 

.   L.  ft. 

180,000 

.50 

90,000 

.   B.  M. 

3,250,000 

40.00 

130,000 

s    and 

.  B.  M. 

4,000,000 

55.00 

220,000 

CHIEF  ENGINEER'S  REPORT 


91 


Churchill  Route — continued. 


Unit 

Quantity 

Rate 

Amount 

Iron  in  bridges  and 

cul- 

$ 

$ 

verts 

.   Lb. 

2,600,000 

.05 

1 30,000 

Steel  rails 

.   Ton 

54, 000 
18,000 

40.00 

2,160,000 
720,000 

Angle  bars 

.   Ton 

2,680 
900 

50.00 

1 34,000 
45,000 

Bolts  and  nuts 

.  Ton 

454 

80.00 

36,320 

Spikes    . 

.   Ton 

2,040 

65.00 

132,600 

Ties 

.   Each 

1,700,000 

•SO 

850,000 

Track-laying  . 

.   Mile 

567 

500.00 

283,500 

Switches  (complete) 

.   Set 

300 

250.00 

75,000 

Water  tanks  . 

.   Each 

30 

5,000.00 

150,000 

Bridges,  steel . 

.   Lb. 

3,700,000 

.05 

185,000 

concrete     , 

.  C.  yd. 

6,000 

15.00 

90,000 

Ballasting 

.   Mile 

567 

1 ,000.00 

567,000 

Telegraph  line 

.  Mile 

477 

300.00 

143.100 

Total 


Increase  due  to  80  lb.  rail 


Station  buildings,  telegraph  stations,  sec- 
tion houses,  round  houses,  locomotive 
and  car  repair  shops,  power  plant,  tools, 
warehouse  at  port,  coal  unloading  plant  $1,700,000 

Two     4,000,000     bush,     cap.'    fireproof 

elevators  ......  4,000,000 

Yard  facility  at  terminals        .  .  .      320,000 

Engineering,  law  costs,  and  contingencies, 

ten  per  cent.        ....   1,737,152 


Harbour  work,  piers,  dredging,  exclusive 
of  lighthouse  and  buoying   . 

Grand  total  . 


10,586,520 
765,000 

11,351,520 


7.757.152 

19,108,672 

6,675,000 

$25,783,672 


The  reader  will  kindly  note  that  the  grand  total  is  ours, 
also  that  the  second  figures  in  the  items  of  steel  rails  and 
angle  bars  have  been  added  in  the  text  of  Mr.  Armstrong  by 
Mr.  Butler,  which  figures  added  make  up  the  $765,000.00 
increase.  The  same  remarks  apply  to  the  data  of  the  Nelson 
route  which  now  follows. 


92 


THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


NELSON  ROUTE 


Unit 


Rate       Quantity       Amount 


Clearing         .          .          .          . 

Acre 

40.00 

7,000 

280,000 

Grubbing       .          .          .          . 

Acre 

100.00 

600 

60,000 

Grading         .          .          .          . 

C.  yd. 

.40 

7,500,000 

3,000,000 

Piling 

L.  ft. 

.40 

200,000 

80,000 

Timber  in  culverts 

B.  M. 

40.00 

2,800,000 

112,000 

Timber  in  bridges  and  trestles 

B.  M. 

55.00 

3,200,000 

176,000 

Iron  in  bridges  and  culverts     . 

Lb. 

.05 

2,100,000 

105,000 

Steel  rails      .          .          .          . 

Ton 

40.00 

45.500 
15,000 

1,820,000 
608,000 

Angle  bars    .          ,          .          . 

Ton 

50.00 

2,280 
800 

114,000 
40,000 

Bolts  and  nuts 

Ton 

80.00 

390 

31,200 

Spikes            .          .          .          . 

Ton 

65.00 

1,740 

113,100 

Ties 

Each 

.40 

1,450,000 

580,000 

Switches        .          .          .          . 

Set 

250.00 

240 

60,000 

Track-laying 

Mile 

500.00 

483 

241,500 

Water  tanks 

Each 

5,000.00 

25 

125,000 

Telegraph  lines 

Mile 

300.00 

410 

123,000 

Bridges,  steel 

Lb. 

.05 

9,400,000 

650,000 

concrete  . 

C.  yd. 

15.00 

12,000 

180,000 

Ballasting     .         .         .         , 

Mile 

1,000.00 

483 

483,000 

Total 

. 

8,333,800 

Increase  due  to  So  lb 

rails 

• 

• 

648,000 

Station  buildings,  telegraph  cabins,  section 
houses,  round  houses,  repair  shops,  locomo- 
tive and  car,  tools,  power  plant,  warehouse 
at  port,  coaling  plant       .  .  .  .$1,647,600 

Two  4,000,000  bush,  fire-proof  elevators  .  4,000,000 
Yard  facility  at  terminals  ....  320,000 
Law  costs  and  contingencies.     Engineering, 

ten  per  cent.  ......   1,476,940 


8,981,800 


Harbour  work,  piers  and  dredging,  exclusive 
of  lighthouse  and  buoy     .... 

Grand  total     . 


7,444,540 

16,426,340 

5,065,000 

121,491,340 


A  comparison  between  the  two  ports  proposed  for  terminals 
on  the  bay  is  next  given.     In  view  of  the  controversy  as  to 

^A  supplementary  report  tabled  in  the  spring  of  191 2  shows  that 
the  season's  work  from  the  Pas  to  Thicket  Portage  has  reduced  the 
cost  of  construction  by  §300,000. 


CHIEF  ENGINEER'S  REPORT  93 

the  choice  between  the  two  ports,  the  reading  of  this  part  of 
Mr.  Armstrong's  report  is  so  interesting  and  the  information 
suppHed  so  important,  that  we  have  deemed  advisable  to 
reproduce  it  in  extenso. 


"  Fort  Churchill 

"  Port  Churchill  is  at  the  mouth  of  the  Churchill  River 
where  the  river  passes  through  a  large  tidal  flat  or  lagoon 
mostly  dry  at  low  tide,  except  near  the  outlet  to  the  sea. 
The  lagoon  is  surrounded  by  hills  consisting  of  rock  at  the 
sea  outlet  and  of  sand  and  gravel  further  up  the  river.  The 
only  available  situation  for  docks  at  present  is  out  near  Cape 
Merry,  with  the  railway  terminals  from  two  to  three  miles  up 
stream  and  the  town-site  from  three  to  five  miles  up  stream. 
Another  town-site  is  available  on  the  west  side,  but  it  would 
be  somewhat  difficult  to  get  railway  and  dock  sites. 

"  There  is  no  possibility  of  improving  the  Churchill  River 
so  as  to  give  inland  communication  by  water,  owing  to  its 
shallowness  over  its  many  wide  and  frequent  rapids.  The 
neighbourhood  of  Port  Churchill  is  practically  destitute  of 
all  forest  growth  for  miles  in  all  directions,  the  vegetation 
being  restricted  to  mosses  and  patches  of  coarse  grasses  along 
the  edges  of  the  water  areas. 

"  The  main  fresh  water  supply  is  obtained  from  the  numerous 
small  lakes  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  is  of  excellent  quality.^ 
The  tidal  flats  are  thickly  strewn  with  boulders,  some  so  large 
as  to  be  visible  above  high  water. 

"  The  main  current  in  the  harbour  is  along  the  indicated 
channel  of  the  Churchill  River,  being  approximately  down 
the  centre  of  the  lagoon,  but  striking  more  against  the  eastern 
side  towards  the  harbour  mouth.  With  the  ebb  tide  the 
current  attains  a  velocity  of  from  six  to  eight  miles  per  hour 
creating  a  somewhat  difficult  entrance  for  low-powered  ships. 

*  Andrew  Graham  wrote  in  177 1:  "No  springs  near,  drink  snow 
water  nine  months  of  the  year.  In  summer  keep  three  draught  horses 
to  haul  water." 


94  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

The  local  pilots  prefer  to  bring  in  their  ships  \vith  the  incoming 
tides. 

"It  is  quite  useless  for  anything  but  a  steam  vessel  to 
attempt  the  entrance  at  any  other  time.  The  current  with 
the  incoming  tide  is  much  less,  probably  not  exceeding  4  miles 
per  hour.  The  highest  tide  observed  was  13 1  feet,  and  the 
lowest  8  feet,  both  probably  being  subject  to  modification 
with  a  longer  series  of  observations.  The  water  is  always 
more  or  less  salt  near  the  entrance.  At  low  tide  fresh  water 
may  be  obtained  in  the  Churchill  channel  opposite  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company's  post,  but  when  the  tide  is  in  this  cannot 
be  done. 

"  The  harbour  usually  freezes  over  about  November  15. 
The  open  sea  also  freezes  over  during  the  winter  four  or  five 
miles  out  from  Churchill.  The  usual  date  for  the  opening 
of  the  harbour  is  about  June  19.  This  last  spring  the  harbour 
opened  on  June  7,  or  about  ten  days  earlier  than  usual.  The 
ice  lay  off  the  coast  and  harbour  this  year,  preventing  the 
return  of  the  survey  party  until  July  13,  when  a  start  was 
made  for  York. 

"  Five  days  more  were  lost  by  the  ice  pack  off  Cape 
Churchill  extending  about  thirty  miles  out  to  sea,  the  boat 
crew  declining  to  venture  outside  of  this.  The  boat  in  use  was 
only  a  small  sailing  coast  boat  not  well  adapted  to  ice-work. 
Probably  no  serious  difficulty  would  have  been  experienced 
by  a  steamer  making  Churchill  within  a  few  days  of  the 
opening  of  the  harbour  on  June  7.  At  intervals  between 
June  7  and  July  13,  ice  would  be  drifted  back  into  the  harbour 
by  north  winds.  This  ice  floating  up  and  down  the  harbour 
on  the  strong  currents  existing  there  constitutes  a  serious 
inconvenience  and  danger  to  ships  at  anchor  and  to  docks 
and  other  works  which  may  be  constructed  along  the  shore. 
The  harbour  has  been  reported  on  occasions  to  have  been 
blocked  by  ice  as  late  as  August  owing  to  long-continued 
north  winds.  This  liability  of  the  harbour  to  being  filled 
with  loose  heavy  ice  drifting  up  and  down  with  the  strong 
currents  will  need  to  be  seriously  considered  in  choosing  the 
type  of  docks  to  be  built  here.     As  shown  on  the  chart,  the 


CHIEF  ENGINEER'S  REPORT  95 

direction  of  the  current  tends  to  throw  the  drifting  ice  against 
the  east  shore,  the  only  place  for  docks  at  the  present  time. 
The  ice,  however,  does  not  jam  here  very  much,  but  is  swept 
on  out  by  the  strong  current.  Jams  more  frequently  occur 
on  the  west  side  between  the  police  barracks  and  Cockrill's 
Point. 

"  At  the  present  time  very  little  shelter  can  be  had  at  low 
tide  by  any  ship  drawing  over  18  or  20  feet  of  water.  Space 
to  accommodate  two  or  three  ships  of  this  size  might  be  had, 
but  anything  larger  would  have  to  anchor  almost  in  front 
of  the  entrance,  which  being  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile, 
allows  the  full  force  of  the  seas  to  be  felt.  The  seas  enter  the 
harbour  with  sufficient  force  to  cause  a  heavy  swell  to  be 
felt  throughout  the  harbour ;  in  fact  it  is  reported  that  at  times 
it  is  impossible  for  the  smaller  boats  to  cross  the  harbour  for 
two  or  three  days  at  a  time.  The  bottom,  consisting  of  mud, 
affords  a  fairly  good  holding  ground  for  anchors. 

"  The  material  forming  the  harbour  bottom  is  mud,  thickly 
strewn  with  boulders  of  all  sizes,  and  is  probably  a  deposit 
from  the  Churchill  River. 

"  Excavating  for  ships'  berths  close  inshore  to  avoid  the 
heavy  drift  ice  will  probably  encounter  solid  rock,  as  the 
solid  rock  in  several  places  runs  to  the  water  edge. 

'■  Stone  for  construction  purposes  is  plentiful.  Marble, 
if  you  like  to  use  it.  All  timber  will  have  to  be  brought  in 
either  by  rail  or  by  ship. 

"  Fort  Churchill,  being  practically  upon  the  open  sea,  can 
only  be  defended  by  strong  forts  and  batteries  placed  in  the 
immediate  neighbourhood  of  the  port  itself. 


"  Port  Nelson 

"  The  chart  or  map  accompanying  this  report  has  been 
drawn  to  a  scale  of  4000  feet  to  i  inch,  as  being  best  adapted 
for  the  purpose  of  giving  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  general 
situation  at  Port  Nelson.  Lines  are  shown  on  the  chart 
inclosing  the  portion  which  was  found  open  all  last  season; 


96  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

other  lines  showing  the  portion  where  the  ice  did  not  attain 
a  greater  thickness  than  lo  inches.  The  shore  Une  is  plotted 
in  from  a  traverse  of  the  shores.  Wherever  the  ice  was  of 
sufficient  strength,  the  sounding  was  done  through  holes, 
the  method  of  locating  being  indicated  on  the  chart.  The 
soundings  in  the  open  water  portion  were  taken  from  a  boat 
hired  from  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  at  York  Factory,  and 
were  taken  in  May  and  June,  after  the  ice  had  gone  out. 
This  portion  of  the  work  was  accomplished  under  great 
difficulties,  as  only  five  small  buoys  could  be  obtained  to 
mark  ten  miles  of  river. 

"  The  boat,  which  was  the  best  obtainable,  was  the  usual 
coast  boat  of  very  shallow  draft  and  clumsy  rig,  but  endowed 
with  special  qualities  in  the  manner  of  drifting. 

"  Owing  to  this  propensity  and  to  the  fact  that  the  small 
buoys  were  not  visible  from  one  to  the  other,  some  difficulty 
was  experienced  in  keeping  the  proper  course.  However, 
after  ten  days'  or  two  weeks'  hard  work  a  sufficient  amount 
of  information  was  obtained  to  enable  us  to  state  with  cer- 
tainty that  a  good  channel  exists  in  which  a  ship  drawing 
26  feet  might  safely  enter  at  all  stages  of  the  tide.  Mr. 
R.  D.  Fry,  the  engineer  in  charge  of  the  party,  beheves  this 
chart  to  be  a  conservative  representation  of  the  actual  condi- 
tions at  Port  Nelson,  and  that  more  extended  surveys  with 
the  proper  equipment  will  probably  show  a  more  favourable 
situation. 

"  In  order  to  get  the  best  results  it  will  be  necessary  to  have 
a  good  strong  boat  equipped  with  power,  preferably  a  good 
sea-going  tug  which  could  be  fitted  to  burn  either  coal  or 
wood,  with  a  dozen  large-sized  buoys  and  fifty  or  sixty 
smaller  ones  to  mark  the  channel  and  points  to  be  sounded. 

"  Port  Nelson  is  at  the  mouth  of  the  Nelson  River,  while 
York  Factory  is  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Hayes  River, 
about  fifteen  or  eighteen  miles  from  Port  Nelson. 

"  The  site  at  the  mouth  of  the  Hayes  was  chosen  by  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  on  account  of  the  better  communica- 
tion with  a  greater  number  of  inland  posts,  and  also  being  a 
much  smaller  stream,  was  not  so  difficult  to  navigate. 


CHIEF  ENGINEER'S  REPORT  97 

"  A  great  deal  of  tracking  had  to  be  done  on  both  rivers, 
and  the  Hayes  being  much  smaller,  offered  less  trouble  in 
crossing  and  re-crossing  to  take  advantage  of  paths  to  tow 
from.  The  Nelson  River  is  known  locally  as  the  North  River, 
and  Port  Nelson  is  named  by  the  British  Admiralty  as  York 
Roads.  Hudson  Bay  vessels  crossing  to  York  Factory 
with  supplies  anchor  about  15  or  20  miles  from  the  post  in 
York  Roads.  The  site  of  York  Factory  was  not  chosen  on 
account  of  its  accessibility  from  the  sea,  but  entirely  on 
account  of  the  easier  communication  with  inland  posts. 
The  Nelson  River  proper  may  be  said  to  end  at  Flamboro 
Head,  which  is  the  approximate  limit  to  which  the  tide 
reaches.  The  estuary  is  a  wide  tidal  flat  with  the  main 
channel  running  approximately  down  the  centre,  finally  dis- 
charging into  an  open  sea  abreast  of  Beacon  Point,  some 
25  miles  from  Flamboro  Head.  At  Flamboro  Head  the 
banks  rise  sheer  from  the  water  edge  to  a  height  of  100 
to  125  feet.  From  this  point  they  gradually  diminish  in 
height  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  until  at  Sam's  Creek  on  the 
north,  and  Beacon  Point  on  the  south,  they  are  about  ten 
feet  above  the  water.  The  north  shore  is  of  clay  with  a 
sufficient  fall  for  drainage,  and  covered  with  a  fair  growth  of 
spruce. 

"  A  good  site  for  terminals  and  town  may  be  had  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  point  marked  on  the  chart.  Above  this  point 
the  banks  come  higher  and  much  more  abrupt. 

"  The  south  shore  is  also  of  clay  with  a  good  slope  for 
drainage,  but  at  the  present  time,  is  covered  with  a  very 
heavy  growth  of  moss,  rendering  it  very  wet.  An  abundant 
supply  of  fresh  water  may  be  had  either  from  the  Nelson 
River  itself  or  from  various  smaller  streams  and  lakes  in  its 
vicinity. 

"  The  main  current  when  the  tide  is  ebbing  is  along  the 
main  channel,  the  current  over  the  flats  running  approxi- 
mately parallel  to  it.  As  the  water  lowers  the  currents  over 
the  flats  converge  more  and  more  upon  the  main  current  till 
at  low  tide  they  are  approximately  at  right  angles  to,  and 
approaching  it.    On  the  ebb  tide,  the  current  flows  at  the 

G 


98  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

rate  of  about  3J  miles  per  hour,  being  strongest  at  the  mouth 
abreast  of  Beacon  Point.  Under  favourable  conditions  the 
current  here  might  rise  as  high  as  4  miles  per  hour.  So  great 
is  the  discharge  of  the  Nelson  River  that  a  perceptible  current 
may  be  noticed  several  miles  out  to  sea.  With  the  incoming 
tide  a  current  of  about  2|  miles  is  obtained. 

"  During  the  observations,  extending  from  March  20  to 
June  10,  the  lowest  tide  observed  was  6.9  feet  and  the  highest 
10.9.  A  longer  series  of  observations  will  probably  establish 
greater  extremes. 

"  The  Admiralty  charts  give  ordinary  spring  tides  as 
ranging  from  10  to  14  feet.  It  is  probable,  however,  that 
any  rise  greater  than  12  feet  may  be  classed  as  an  occurrence 
out  of  the  ordinary  and  due  probably  to  some  particular 
combination  of  wind  and  tide.  The  tides  were  found  to  be 
very  variable,  due,  no  doubt,  to  the  comparative  shallowness 
of  the  water.  This  will  require  a  long  series  of  observations 
before  accurate  tide  tables  can  be  prepared.  This  condition 
is  not  peculiar  to  Port  Nelson,  but  applies  generally  to  the 
tides  in  Hudson  Bay. 

"  Salt  water  is  never  found  above  Beacon  Point,  except 
when  a  very  strong  easterly  gale  is  blowing  with  the  incoming 
tide,  when  a  slightly  brackish  taste  may  be  detected  two  or 
three  miles  above  Beacon  Point.  When  the  tide  is  ebbing 
fresh  water  is  obtained  far  out  to  sea.  Salt  water  is  never 
obtained  within  many  miles  of  the  point  selected  for  the 
terminals. 

"  About  December  20  the  river  is  usually  frozen  over  at 
Seal  Island  or  Flamboro  Head.  From  this  time  on  the  ice 
gradually  creeps  do^vn  the  estuary  and  out  from  the  shore 
line  until  the  first  half  of  the  month  of  April.  About  this 
date  the  weather  moderated  to  such  an  extent  that  the 
thawing  through  the  day  counterbalanced  the  freezing  at 
night  and  the  ice  began  to  recede  towards  Flamboro  Head, 
the  estuary  being  usually  again  clear  of  ice  by  May  15.  The 
ice  is  broken  up  into  large  floes  by  the  rising  tide,  and  is  borne 
off  out  to  sea  by  the  ebb  tide.  Owing  to  the  appreciable 
current  of  the  Nelson  River  being  felt  so  far  out  to  sea  very 


CHIEF  ENGINEER'S  REPORT  99 

little  of  this  ice  ever  drifts  back  again.  Between  May  15 
and  June  i,  the  upper  Nelson  ice  breaks  up  and  passes  down 
the  centre  of  the  estuary  in  the  main  channel,  usually  occupy- 
ing from  twenty-four  to  thirty-six  hours  in  passing  out  to 
sea.  During  last  winter  no  ice  jams  occurred  inside  of  a 
line  drawn  from  Beacon  Point  to  Sam's  Creek,  and  a  careful 
scrutiny  of  the  shore  line  after  the  snow  and  ice  had  disap- 
peared failed  to  find  any  trace  of  its  ever  doing  so.  The 
photos  accompanying  this  report  give  a  fair  representation 
of  the  usual  ice  conditions  at  Nelson.  Last  winter  was  a 
shade  colder  than  average. 

"  The  winter  of  1878,  an  exceptionally  mild  winter,  the 
channel  remained  open  for  40  miles  above  Flamboro  Head. 

"  During  the  freeze  up  in  the  fall,  a  considerable  quantity 
of  slush  ice  comes  down  from  the  Upper  Nelson. 

"  Last  winter  at  Seal  Island  and  along  the  shore  the  ice 
attained  a  thickness  of  between  4I  and  5  feet.  The  average 
thickness  at  York  Factory,  where  a  record  has  been  kept  for 
many  years,  seems  to  be  about  4  ft.  8  inches. 

"  During  the  winter  more  or  less  ice  floats  up  and  down 
the  open  channel  with  the  tides,  but  being  very  scattered 
no  jams  ever  occur. 

"  The  anchorage  being  some  nine  or  ten  miles  in  from  the 
mouth  of  the  channel  no  serious  sea  is  ever  experienced  which 
may  cause  trouble  to  anything  larger  than  canoes  or  row- 
boats.  The  condition  of  the  seas  at  Port  Nelson  will  probably 
be  found  to  resemble  those  experienced  at  Quebec  on  the 
St.  Lawrence.  The  bottom  is  of  sufficient  stiffness  to  furnish 
a  secure  holding  ground  for  anchors. 

"  The  material  in  the  fiats  consists  of  blue  clay  with  an 
occasional  pocket  of  coarse  sand  and  gravel  with  boulders 
scattered  thinly  around.  In  the  channel  the  material  is  a 
very  stiff  blue  clay,  affording  excellent  holding  ground  for 
anchors.  Probably  all  of  the  material  can  be  handled  by 
dredges  at  a  very  low  cost,  and  may  be  used  for  reclamation 
works  around  the  docks.  The  bottom  of  the  channel  is  swept 
clean  and  bare  by  the  current  of  the  Nelson,  and  is  of  so  stiff 
a  nature  that  the  small  anchor  used  by  the  survey,  probably 


100  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

weighing  about  200  lbs.,  would  frequently  drag  for  some 
distance  before  taking  hold.  The  material  on  the  flats  is 
not  so  hard  on  top,  but  becomes  harder  as  depth  is  obtained. 

"  Stone  for  the  construction  of  breakwaters  and  other 
works  may  be  cheaply  obtained.  About  75,000  or  100,000 
cubic  yards  may  be  picked  up  along  the  tidal  flats  in  the 
shape  of  scattered  boulders.  Up  the  Nelson  River,  about 
40  miles  above  Flamboro  Head  is  a  splendid  quarry  where 
any  required  quantity  can  be  had,  and  landed  cheaply  at  the 
works  by  means  of  the  Nelson  River, 

"  Piles  in  large  quantities  will  be  obtainable  from  various 
streams  entering  Nelson  River  and  Hudson  Bay. 

"  Cement  and  other  materials,  being  brought  in  by  water, 
should  be  comparatively  cheap. 

"  The  defence  of  Nelson  from  hostile  fleets  will  be  com- 
paratively easy,  the  long,  comparatively  narrow  channel 
approach  being  easily  rendered  impregnable  by  means  of  sea 
mines,  and  rendered  otherwise  dangerous  by  the  removal  or 
changing  of  buoys  and  other  channel  marks.  Battleships 
which  carry  the  extreme  long  range  guns  are  of  such  a  draft 
as  to  render  it  somewhat  dangerous  to  manoeuvre  in  less  than 
45  feet  of  water,  thus  preventing  their  closer  approach  than 
15  or  18  miles,  a  distance  considerably  greater  than  the 
effective  range  of  even  the  heaviest  guns.  The  lighter  ships 
which  might  approach  closer  carry  correspondingly  lighter 
guns.  The  estabhshment  of  strong  batteries  and  forts  at 
Sam's  Creek  would  seem  to  be  all  that  is  necessary  to  render 
Port  Nelson  absolutely  unassailable. 

"  It  might  be  mentioned  here  in  passing,  the  greatly  in- 
'creased  difficulty  a  hostile  fleet  woiild  have  on  blockading 
the  Atlantic  coast  of  Canada  were  the  Hudson  Bay  route 
opened.  The  fact  that  ships  may  enter  and  leave  Port 
Nelson  all  the  year  round  is  a  fact  worth  remembering  when 
the  possibilities  of  war  are  considered."  ^ 

After  reading  the  contents  of  this  chapter,  not  a  small 
number  of  persons  will  probably  stare  at  the  apparent  simpli- 
city of  the  whole  project,  and  wonder  why  its  construction 
1  Report  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Railway  Surveys,  1909,  p.  17  et  seq. 


CHIEF  ENGINEER'S  REPORT  loi 

was  not  undertaken  sooner.  Possibly  the  several  opinions 
which  we  shall  read  in  the  next  chapter  of  this  book  may 
throw  some  light  on  the  extraordinary  position  assumed  for 
such  a  long  time  by  the  Canadian  Government.^ 

1  See  Appendix  G  for  what  Dr.  William  Sinclair  of  the  Pas  has  to 
say  of  the  work  going  on  at  Port  Nelson. 

Further  complementary  particulars  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  will 
be  found  in  Appendix  D. 

The  following  taken  from  the  Winnipeg  Telegram  of  January  20, 
191 5,  shows  what  work  has  been  accomplished  on  the  line  during  the 
year  1914: — 

"  Ottawa,  Ontario,  January  20. — The  final  revision  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Railway  route  from  the  Pas  to  Port  Nelson  leaves  the  length  of 
the  line  424  miles,  only  22  miles  longer  than  an  air  line.  For  the 
distance  this  is  probably  the  most  direct  route  in  Canada. 

"  Last  April  a  tote  road  was  started  from  the  end  of  the  steel  to  Port 
Nelson.  In  December  it  had  reached  Kettle  Rapids,  and  by  the  middle 
of  February  will  be  at  Port  Nelson.  Next  summer  supplies  can  be 
teamed  in  from  the  end  of  the  steel  to  the  bay.  A  year  ago  there  were 
130  miles  completely  graded  and  25  miles  partially  graded.  This 
year's  operations  have  extended  the  complete  grade  to  mileage  240,  and 
54  miles  further  on  is  partially  graded,  leaving  only  a  little  over  100 
miles  to  the  bay.  In  191 3,  103  miles  of  track  were  laid,  and  by  the  end 
of  this  month  trains  will  be  able  to  run  to  mileage  214.  A  telegraph  line 
has  also  been  built  to  mileage  175,  showing  155  miles  of  wire  strung  this 
season.  In  addition  seven  standard  tanks  have  been  built  and  six 
trestles. 

"  From  the  progress  made  this  year  the  grade  should  be  completed 
into  Nelson  in  1915,  and  the  tracks  and  other  equipment  placed  in 
readiness  for  the  1916  crop.  The  work  of  taking  in  supplies,  complet- 
ing the  tote  road  and  a  certain  amount  of  construction  at  the  bay  is 
being  carried  on  this  winter  so  that  no  time  will  be  lost  when  the 
season  opens  for  the  next  year's  work." 

The  following  is  from  the  Pas  Herald  and  Mining  News  of  April  9, 

1915:— 

"  To  Port  Nelson  by  191 6,  if  all  goes  well,  is  the  latest  expression  of 
Hon.  Frank  Cochrane,  minister  of  railways  and  canals.  The  engineers 
hardly  think  it  possible  that  a  year  from  next  fall  will  see  completion 
of  the  road,  but  the  minister  says  it  must  be  done.  Five  million  and 
a  half  dollars  have  been  provided  for  this  year's  work,  three  millions  on 
the  railway  proper  and  a  million  and  a  half  for  the  Port  Nelson  ter- 
minals. '  The  contract  for  the  steel  bridge  over  the  Manitou  rapids 
has  been  let,'  says  IMr.  Cochrane,  •  the  other  bridge  is  not  completely 
worked  out.  The  engineering  difficulties  have  yet  to  be  settled.  The 
first  bridge  is  to  be  in  place  by  September  15th  this  year,  so  that  the 
rails  may  be  laid  as  far  as  it  is  graded  before  the  snow  flies  next  faU. 
I  think  the  road  will  be  into  Port  Nelson  by  191 6,  but  the  engineers 
think  we  will  have  hard  work  to  do  it. 

"  '  Regarding  the  terminals  at  Port  Nelson,  the  deep  water  channel, 
about  a  third  of  a  mile  wide,  up  the  middle  of  the  estuary,  is  separated 


102  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

from  the  shore  by  the  wide  tidal  flats,  over  which  the  water  is  from 
one  to  three  feet  at  low  water.  It  is  proposed  to  construct  the  docks 
parallel  to  the  deep  water  channel  and  distant  about  one  thousand  feet 
therefrom,  the  intervening  space  being  dredged  about  20  feet  at  low 
water.  The  docks  will  consist  of  a  cigar-shaped  area  surrounded  with 
timber  cribs  and  filled  in  with  dredged  material.  The  area  will  be 
about  500  feet  wide  and  three-quarters  of  a  mile  long  in  extreme 
dimensions.  Along  the  face  of  the  docks  the  steamer  berths  will  be 
dredged  to  about  30  feet  deep.  The  elevator  will  be  situated  on  the 
above  described  area  with  adequate  trackage.  The  docks  will  be 
connected  with  the  shore  by  a  series  of  crib  piers,  of  large  area  to  resist 
ice  thrust,  connected  up  with  steel  pans.  Until  earlier  work  is  done, 
dredging  will  not  be  undertaken.  This  year  we  have  our  men  and  plant 
up  there  and  expect  to  make  considerable  progress.' 

"  With  reference  to  the  number  of  ships  going  into  Hudson  Bay  last 
year,  Mr.  Cochrane  states  there  were  ■^^j.  The  first  steamer  reached 
Port  Nelson  in  good  time.  He  also  states  a  twenty-foot  depth  of  water 
holds  good  for  the  fifteen  miles  outward  from  the  river,  but  ships  of 
greater  draught  could  make  it  on  high  tide. 

"  In  the  year  191 3  Port  Nelson  was  a  barren  waste,  inhabited  by 
Indians  and  a  few  government  surveyors  and  engineers  who  arrived 
in  the  fall  of  the  previous  year  to  lay  out  the  lines  of  work  on  the 
terminals.  On  the  sth  of  August,  191 3,  the  steamer  Bonaventure  came 
into  port  with  a  dozen  men  and  H.  F.  Hazen,  engineer,  in  charge.  The 
boat  anchored  tAvo  miles  off  shore  and  the  ship's  long-boats  were  used 
in  making  a  landing.  At  this  time  there  was  no  landing  dock  or  means 
of  handling  heavy  construction  material.  Three  log  buildings  consti- 
tuted all  the  shelters  in  the  place.  On  August  6th,  the  steamer  Bell- 
aventiire  arrived  with  200  workmen.  The  men  were  at  once  put  to 
work  making  a  landing  dock,  building  log  shacks  and  bunk  houses  and 
clearing  part  of  the  town-site  of  small  brush.  Both  steamers  were 
unloaded  of  freight  and  sailed  away  in  the  latter  end  of  the  month. 
No  ice  was  encountered  on  the  trip  out  from  Halifax,  and  none  on  the 
return  trip.  With  the  departure  of  the  steamers  the  men  got  down  to 
real  work,  and  they  accomplished  wonders  before  the  winter  set  in. 
Everything  was  made  ready  for  the  big  gang  to  follow  in  the  winter 
and  spring  of  19 14.  With  the  coming  of  these  men  the  population  of 
Port  Nelson  was  swelled  to  a  thousand.  Prospects  are  that  a  thousand 
more  men  will  be  put  to  work  there  in  1915.  At  the  present  time  there 
are  five  large  warehouses,  each  165  feet  long,  numerous  dwelling  houses, 
several  dining  camps,  each  180  feet  long  with  seating  accommodation 
for  400  men.  An  electric  light  plant  is  one  of  the  permanent  fixtures 
besides  the  wireless  station.  In  addition  there  are  a  number  of  tugs 
and  lighters  in  the  harbour,  and  several  more  under  construction  now. 
The  big  dry  dock  is  well  under  way  and  the  excavation  is  done.  In 
the  yards  there  are  about  30  miles  of  railway  laid.  The  work  is  progress- 
ing most  satisfactorily,  and  hopes  are  held  that  the  steamship  docks, 
two  in  number  and  extending  towards  the  bay  for  a  mile,  will  be 
completed  and  ready  for  handling  freight  from  the  cars  to  the  steamer 
hold,  by  next  year." 


HUDSON  BAY  ROUTE  103 


CHAPTER  XII 

OPINIONS  ON   HUDSON   BAY  ROUTE 

Certainly  the  greatest  and  most  disinterested  booster  for 
the  Hudson  Bay  route  that  Canada  has  had  to  this  day  is 
Dr.  Robert  Bell,  ex-chief  of  the  Canadian  Geological  Service. 
Our  readers  have  read  in  a  previous  chapter  his  opinion  of  the 
possibilities  of  navigation  in  Hudson  Bay  and  Strait.  In 
the  Scottish  Geographic  Magazine  of  March,  1912,  appeared 
an  article  from  this  gentleman's  pen,  in  which  the  attention 
of  the  public  was  called  to  the  fact  that  for  two  hundred  years 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  had  used  the  strait  and  bay  road 
as  the  most  convenient  road  to  the  Canadian  north-west. 
Only  because  the  western  prairies  had  not  been  inhabited 
until  quite  recently,  and  also  because  the  people  of  the  east 
did  not  feel  very  well  disposed  towards  the  project,  had  there 
been  any  delay  in  utilising  it.  It  was  Dr.  Bell's  further 
opinion  that  the  railroad  to  the  bay's  shores  could  be  operated 
very  economically  by  some  hydro-electric  force,  generated 
and  maintained  by  the  falls  and  the  rapids  on  the  Churchill 
and  Nelson  Rivers  and  their  tributaries. 

In  this  statement  of  a  man  eminently  qualified  to  speak 
authoritatively  on  the  subject  by  reason  of  the  several  trips 
which  he  made  to  Hudson  Bay,  during  which  he  studied  very 
thoroughly,  not  only  the  ice  conditions  but  all  the  other 
natural  features,  we  have  a  most  complete  and  true  digest  of 
the  whole  question.  The  route  has  been  found  feasible  for 
two  hundred  years;  only  the  selfish  sentiments  of  a  portion 
of  the  country's  population,  blinded  by  a  false  appreciation 
of  the  ultimate  results  of  the  project,  have  retarded  the 
progress  of  the  whole  Dominion  by  the  saving  to  its  inhabi- 
tants of  millions  of  dollars  had  the  railway  been  built  sooner. 
For,  as  Sir  Wilfrid  Laurier  expressed  it  in  its  announcement 
at  Niagara  Falls  in  1908,  "  the  future  of  Canada  is  too  great 


104  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

for  any  one  part  of  its  territory  to  be  hurt  by  the  development 
of  the  routes  of  commerce  of  any  other  part." 

But  before,  at  the  same  time,  and  since  Dr.  Bell  expressed 
his  unwavering  faith  in  the  northern  route  many  have  been 
the  men  who  have  come  forward  and  dared  publish  their 
belief  in  the  ultimate  result  of  man's  ability  to  conquer  the 
icy  elements  of  that  route,  no  more  terrible  and  difficult  than 
steam,  electricity,  air,  and  other  natural  forces  and  obstacles 
which  human  perseverance  has  successively  subdued  and 
made  serve  its  own  ends. 

The  following  opinions,  gathered  at  random,  I  reproduce 
here  in  the  thought  that  they  will  be  read  with  interest  by 
those  persons  who  are  prepared  to  study  out  the  problem  of 
the  Hudson  Bay  route  with  all  preconceived  ideas  first 
eliminated. 

"  The  immediate  opening  up  of  a  railway  to  one  or  other 
of  the  Hudson  Bay  ports  is  of  the  deepest  concern  to  all 
farmers  of  the  area  tributary  to  such  a  railway — an  area 
which  really  at  the  present  time  includes  all  of  Alberta, 
Saskatchewan,  except  a  small  south-eastern  corner.  Conse- 
quently, in  my  view,  the  Federal  Government  ought  immedi- 
ately to  complete  the  railway  from  the  Pas,  the  terminus  of 
the  Canadian  Northern  Railway,  to  Port  Nelson." — J.  L. 
Wilhs,  bank  inspector,  Toronto,  Spring  1912. 

"  When  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  is  completed,  the  trans- 
portation problem  in  the  west  will  be  practically  solved  by 
the  establishment  of  a  comparatively  short  water  route  to 
the  English  market." — J.  H.  Sexsmith,  M.P.  for  East  Peter- 
borough, July  1912. 

"  While  I  am  prepared  to  admit  that  there  remain  great 
difficulties  to  be  surmounted  and  many  uncertainties  in  the 
way  to  be  cleared,  I  feel  confident  that  the  scheme  is  perfectly 
feasible." — Hon.  F.  W.  G.  Haultain,  leader  of  the  Opposition, 
and  for  many  years  previous  to  the  formation  of  the  provinces 
of  Saskatchewan  and  Alberta,  Premier  of  the  North-West 
Territories,  August  1912. 

"  Undoubtedly  there  will  be  a  large  fish  trade  from  the 
north,  and  valuable  mineral  deposits  may  be  found  along 


HUDSON  BAY  ROUTE  105 

the  right  of  way,  as  happened  in  the  case  of  the  Ontario 
government  road,  making  the  line  of  incalculable  wealth. 
Add  to  this  that  there  is  bound  to  be  considerable  through 
traffic,  freight  and  passenger,  and  the  element  of  risk  is 
materially  reduced."  So  is  reported  to  have  spoken,  some 
time  in  October,  1912,  Sir  Donald  Mann,  vice-president  of 
the  Canadian  Northern  Railway,  which  company  did  its  level 
best  up  to  1910  to  obtain  from  the  Federal  Government  the 
necessary  subsidy  and  contract  to  proceed  to  the  bay  with 
their  line  ending  at  the  Pas.  No  man,  except  possibly  his 
friend  and  chief  associate.  Sir  William  Mackenzie,  who  has 
also  always  favoured  the  project,  is  better  posted  than  Sir 
Donald  Mann  on  the  invasion  of  the  north  by  the  railway. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  he  places  the  importance  of  the  road 
solely  on  the  traffic  originating  from  the  natural  resources 
of  the  district  to  be  tapped. 

"  The  Hudson  Bay  Railway  will  probably  be  like  every 
other  railway  in  the  Dominion  which  has  been  managed  on 
business  principles.  It  will  develop  its  own  traffic.  We  ought 
not  to  start  out,  as  many  of  us  do,  with  the  fear  that  any 
proposed  railway  may  not  pay,  and  hence  we  ought  not  to 
endeavour  to  promote  it.  In  a  country  like  ours  all  railways 
will  pay  their  way  if  rightly  managed.  The  Canadian  Pacific 
we  were  told  would  never  pay;  but  it  is  a  fairly  profitable 
institution.  We  were  told  that  a  national  transcontinental 
would  never  pay,  but  we  know  better  now.  Of  course,  the 
Hudson  Bay  Railway  will  pay." — Victoria,  B.C.,  Colonist, 
Summer  1912. 

"  Mr.  Cochrane  is  taking  hold  of  the  road  to  the  bay  in  a 
business-like  manner.  He  has  investigated  the  needs  of  the 
west  this  summer,  and  realises  that  the  western  farmers  were 
right  in  their  demand  for  a  government-owned  and  operated 
road  to  the  bay.  It  will  probably  take  three  years  at  the 
lowest  estimate  to  open  the  road  for  traffic,  and  by  that  time 
every  outlet  from  the  west  will  be  taxed  to  the  utmost.  Mr. 
Cochrane  will  have  western  sympathy  in  bending  every  effort 
to  a  speedy  construction  of  the  road  to  the  bay." — Grain 
Growers'  Guide,  Winnipeg,  Summer  1912. 


io6  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

"  Preliminary  reports  from  the  Hudson  Bay  survey  parties 
on  board  the  government  steamers  which  are  investigating 
the  ice  and  navigation  conditions  in  Hudson  Bay  and  the 
Straits  this  summer  in  connection  with  the  proposed  Hudson 
Bay  Railway,  are  not  very  encouraging  as  to  the  safety  and 
feasibility  of  the  route,  so  it  is  reported.  The  ice  conditions, 
especially  in  the  straits,  have  been  found  to  be  unusually 
bad,  exposing  vessels  to  both  serious  danger  and  delay. 
While  the  desire  for  another  outlet  for  western  wheat  and 
another  ocean  route  to  Europe  is  natural,  the  Monetary 
Times  still  thinks  that  the  Hudson  Bay  route  is  entirely 
impracticable.  Navigation  would  be  hazardous,  and  only 
for  a  short  period  of  the  year.  Even  the  St.  Lawrence  route, 
with  all  its  recent  improvements,  cannot  obtain  sufficiently 
low  insurance  rates.  What  rates  could  be  obtained,  then, 
on  the  Hudson  Bay  route?  The  Monetary  Times  suggests 
that  the  Hudson  Bay  scheme  be  abandoned  by  the  govern- 
ment, with  a  frank  statement  that  the  proposed  route  is  too 
hazardous  and  quite  impracticable." — The  Monetary  Times, 
Toronto,  Summer  1912. 

Honourable  Frank  Cochrane,  who  travelled  by  land  to 
Port  Nelson  and  crossed  both  the  bay  and  the  straits  as  the 
above  lines  were  written,  on  his  return  to  the  capital,  to  the 
dismay  of  the  Monetary  Times  and  such-like  publications, 
spoke  enthusiastically  of  the  project.  "  I  have  every  faith 
in  the  scheme  and  I  will  push  the  Hudson  Bay  Road  for  all 
it  is  worth.  We  intend  to  make  this  a  good  road.  We  have 
a  four-tenths  grade.  We  are  using  eighty-pound  rails.  I 
believe  that  the  Hudson  Bay  route  will  mean  much  to  the 
west  in  the  way  of  lower  freight  rates.  It  will  be  a  leveller, 
east  and  west.  Just  consider  how  much  cheaper  iron,  steel, 
and  coal,  for  instance,  from  Sidney,  could  be  shipped  to  the 
prairies.  It  will  be  of  the  greatest  advantage  to  the  east, 
and  I  believe  eastern  opposition  is  dying  out.  We  found 
the  bay  free  from  ice.  In  fact,  the  only  ice  we  saw  to  amount 
to  anything  was  the  bergs  near  Belle  Isle,  where  all  the 
Atlantic  steamers  encounter  them.  The  straits  are  very 
wide,  and  with  the  aid  of  wireless  I  believe  can  be  kept  open 


HUDSON  BAY  ROUTE  107 

for  a  long  period.  Wireless  stations  and  other  aids  to  naviga- 
tion will  be  established  as  soon  as  needed.  ...  If  the  route 
was  only  open  two  months  after  the  wheat  of  the  west  started 
to  move,  it  would  be  worth  while." 

"  Persistent  efforts  have  been  and  are  being  made  to  dis- 
credit the  Hudson  Bay  route  as  an  available  outlet  for  the 
products  of  Western  Canada.  That  there  are  difficulties, 
there  is  no  occasion  to  deny.  But,  taking  them  at  their 
worst,  in  the  light  of  the  available  information,  they  do  not 
appear  by  any  means  insuperable.  Hudson  Bay  and  Hudson 
Straits  are  not  unknown  waters.  The  early  settlements  in 
the  north-west  were  made  through  them,  and  no  year  has 
passed  without  ships  challenging  such  dangers  to  navigation 
as  may  be  found.  What  sailing  vessels  did,  steamships  can 
certainly  accomplish  with  much  more  ease.  Nor  is  there 
reason  to  doubt  that  modern  aids  to  navigation  will  largely 
minimise,  if  not  entirely  eliminate,  the  risks  braved  by  earlier 
mariners.  Even  should  there  be  exceptionally  bad  years, 
these  will  be  compensated  by  others  that  are  usually  favour- 
able. Certainly  the  advantages  that  will  come  from  the 
successful  opening  of  the  Hudson  Bay  route  are  well  worth 
the  expenditure  necessary  to  give  it  a  proper  trial.  That 
settlers  will  push  their  way  in  increasing  numbers  into  that 
region  is  certain,  and  for  them  the  opening  up  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  navigation  and  of  the  adjacent  territory  would  be  a 
matter  of  supreme  importance.  Mr.  Cochrane  has  returned 
from  the  North  with  every  faith  in  the  road,  and  his  decision 
to  expedite  its  construction  will  be  generall}'  approved." — 
Toronto  World,  Summer  1912. 

Father  Lefevre,  procurator  of  the  missions  and  industrial 
schools  under  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  located  between  Fort 
M'Murray  and  the  Arctic  Red  River,  and  who  has  travelled 
over  the  whole  of  Northern  Canada,  in  the  course  of  an  inter- 
view in  the  early  fall  of  the  year  1912,  said  that  the  comple- 
tion of  the  Hudson  Bay  route  would  open  a  virgin  mineral, 
agricultural,  and  timber  country.  In  his  opinion,  the  route 
is  feasible,  and  must  facilitate  commercial  intercourse  with 
the  world's  markets.     The  northern  country,  he  added,  is 


io8  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

full  of  black,  white,  red,  cross  and  silver  foxes,  otter,  marten, 
lynx,  beaver,  mink,  and  muskrat,  while  the  streams  hterally 
teem  with  white  fish  and  trout. 

Even  Dr.  F.  A.  Cook  of  North  Pole  discovery  fame  is  of  the 
opinion  that  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  will  be  very  valuable 
to  Canada,  especially  to  the  west. 

"  The  Hudson  Bay  route  is  a  certainty  of  the  immediate 
future,  so  far  as  human  possibilities  go,"  said  the  Manitoba 
Free  Press  in  the  fall  of  1912.  "  Ever  since  that  time  away 
back  in  the  early  eighties,  when  the  Federal  Government  of 
the  day  garbled  the  favourable  report  of  its  expert.  Com- 
mander Gordon,  R.N.,  because  its  credit  was  engaged  to  the 
hilt  on  behalf  of  the  C.P.R.,  this  idea  has  received  faint  praise 
in  the  east  and  earnest  support  in  the  west.  What  threatened 
to  become  a  sectional  issue  happily  has  been  removed  to  the 
serene  realm  of  accomplished  fact.  For  there  is  no  doubt  of 
the  early  completion  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway.  The 
present  administration  appears  to  be  eager  to  push  to  a  finish 
the  work  of  Sir  Wilfrid  Laurier.  Mr.  Cochrane,  Minister  of 
Railways,  who  made  his  trip  over  the  route  somewhat  scepti- 
cal, has  returned  to  Ottawa  sincerely  convinced  of  its  feasi- 
bility and  commercial  practicability.  Perhaps  too  much 
attention  has  been  drawn  by  its  anxious  advocates  in  the 
Canadian  west  to  the  grain-clearing  feature  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  route.  Too  little  has  been  said  of  its  vast  possibilities 
as  a  clearing  house  for  imperial  trade;  as  a  high  seas  avenue 
for  bringing  British-made  goods  into  this  country,  as  well  as 
a  dump-route  for  our  grain.  .  .  .  Largely  because  the  manu- 
facturing resources  of  the  east  are  already  overtaxed  to 
supply  the  immediate  wants  of  the  ever-expanding  west, 
the  need  of  the  Hudson  Bay  route  has  become  national 
rather  than  sectional.  With  the  inevitable  reduction  in 
duties  on  British-made  goods,  the  inward  flow  of  home-country 
trade  will  in  time  equal  and  perhaps  exceed  the  outward  flow 
of  prairie-grown  wheat.  It  is  an  aspect  of  the  situation 
which  calls  for  warehouses  as  well  as  elevators  at  Fort  Churchill 
and  Port  Nelson — twin  Bristols  of  the  North  American 
hinterland." 


HUDSON  BAY  ROUTE  109 

"  The  Hudson  Bay  Railway  must  and  will  be  built.  The 
croaking  of  eastern  financial  papers  will  but  serve  to  empha- 
size the  necessity  for  such  a  route.  It  has  been  proven  beyond 
all  doubt  that  the  Hudson  Bay  and  Straits  are  navigable  for 
four  months  in  the  year.  In  that  limited  period,  which  may 
be  extended  by  properly  protected  vessels,  as  much  freight 
could  be  carried  away  by  the  fleets  of  ocean  tramps  which 
would  flock  to  the  terminus  of  the  railway  as  can  be  carried 
by  the  shipping  on  the  great  lakes  in  the  six-month  period." — 
Yorkton  Enterprise,  Winter  1913. 

"  Should  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  turn  out  to  be  the 
success  that  it  is  expected,  and  should  navigation  of  Hudson 
Bay  prove  no  more  difficult  than  in  the  past — and  the  diffi- 
culties are  certain  to  decrease  with  the  greater  knowledge  of 
tides,  currents,  and  winds,  through  practical  experience — an 
entirely  new  field  will  be  opened  up  to  the  traders  and  manu- 
facturers of  the  east.  Water-borne  freight  can  be  carried 
very  cheaply  to  the  Hudson  Bay  terminal  of  the  railway,  and 
the  short  railway  haul  will  enable  merchants  and  traders  of 
the  maritime  provinces  to  enter  into  active  competition  with 
those  of  Montreal  and  Toronto — with  advantages  on  the  side 
of  the  provinces  by  the  sea.  In  addition  to  giving  a  cheap 
outlet  to  the  wheat  of  the  west,  the  railway  would  also  give 
to  the  easterner  a  cheap  route  to  the  western  consumer.  It 
may  be  claimed  that  if  all  the  '  ifs  '  were  obliterated  and 
that  neither  danger  nor  delay  were  likely  to  attend  the  voyage 
through  Hudson  Bay,  there  would  be  no  return  cargo  for  the 
vessels  carrying  eastern  products  to  the  west.  This  would 
not  be  the  case.  There  are  certain  points  to  be  considered. 
There  is  no  likelihood  of  the  farmers  of  New  Brunswick, 
Nova  Scotia,  or  even  Prince  Edward's  Island  becoming  great 
growers  of  wheat.  .  .  .  Wheat  would  furnish  a  beginning  for 
return  cargoes  from  the  west,  and  time  would  arrange  an 
interchange  of  commodities.  Much  will  happen  before  the 
Hudson  Bay  problem  is  proved  out,  but  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  with  even  reasonable  safety  of  navigation,  the 
new  route  could  be  made  of  great  value  to  the  maritime 
provinces." — St.  John,  N.B.,  Standard,  Winter  1912-13. 


no  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

"  '  Port  Nelson  open  in  January '  seems  a  good  vote  for  the 
all-year-round  navigation  of  Hudson  Bay.  Although  H.  T. 
Hazen's  report,  re  Nelson  as  a  port,  is  still  in  the  hands  of 
Hon,  F.  Cochrane,  it  is  learned  that  when  Mr.  Hazen  left 
Nelson  in  the  month  of  January  the  bay  was  then  absolutely 
open  and  the  only  ice  appearing  was  along  the  shores.  The 
promoters  of  the  North  Railway  Co.,  here,  declare  that 
navigation  on  the  bay  from  Nelson  to  Nottawa,  the  foot  of 
James  Bay,  will  be  open  practically  all  the  year  round  with 
the  proper  kind  of  vessels." — Charlottetown,  P.E.I.,  Patriot, 
Winter  1912-13. 

"  In  considering  this  Hudson  Bay  project  more  or  less 
academically,  as  it  has  been  viewed  for  many  years  past,  all 
attention  has  been  devoted  to  its  use  as  an  avenue  for  moving 
grain  from  Western  Canada  to  tide  water,  for  conveyance  to 
foreign  markets,  while  little  notice  has  been  given  to  an 
equally  important  phase  of  the  problem — the  utilisation  of 
the  route  as  an  outlet  for  imports  for  western  commerce.  In 
the  great  wheat-growing  belt  all  the  immense  prairies  are 
being  covered  with  settlers  at  the  rate  of  hundreds  of  thousands 
annually,  the  whole  of  whose  requirements,  except  what  they 
raise  from  the  land,  will  have  to  be  conveyed  to  them  by 
railroads.  The  establishing  of  a  Hudson  Bay  route  will 
ensure  to  these  growing  communities,  and  to  others  yet  unborn, 
an  alternative  such  as,  for  instance,  the  Mississippi  River 
affords  to  the  communities  which  can  be  reached  by  water 
carriage  along  its  banks;  and  even  with  the  handicap  of  the 
ice  pack  for  some  months,  there  ought  to  be  some  possibilities 
of  enormous  expansion  in  this  region.  The  manufacturers 
of  the  maritime  provinces  should  be  able  to  place  their  pro- 
ducts in  Western  Canada  by  this  means  at  rates  at  present 
unapproachable."  —  P.  T.  M'Grath  in  Review  of  Reviews, 
Spring  1913. 

In  the  Flower  of  the  North,  James  Ohver  Curwood,  the 
American  novehst  who  has  chosen  the  Hudson  Bay  country 
as  the  scene  for  several  of  his  books,  gives  quite  a  vivid  picture 
of  what  results  will  be  attained  by  the  Hudson  Bay  Road, 
when  he  gets  his  hero,  Phillip  Whittemore,  to  exclaim:  "  See 


HUDSON  BAY  ROUTE  in 

that  red  line?  That's  the  new  railroad  to  Hudson  Bay.  It 
is  well  above  Le  Pas  now,  and  its  builders  plan  to  complete 
it  by  next  spring.  It  is  the  most  wonderful  piece  of  railroad 
building  on  the  American  continent,  Greggy  —  wonderful 
because  it  has  been  neglected  so  long.  Something  like  a 
hundred  million  people  have  been  asleep  to  its  enormous 
value,  and  they  are  just  waking  up  now.  This  road,  cutting 
across  four  hundred  miles  of  wilderness,  is  opening  up  a 
country  half  as  big  as  the  United  States,  in  which  more 
mineral  wealth  will  be  dug  during  the  next  fifty  years  than 
will  ever  be  taken  from  Yukon  or  Alaska.  It  is  shortening 
the  route  from  Montreal,  Duluth,  Chicago,  and  the  middle 
west  to  Liverpool  and  other  European  ports  by  a  thousand 
miles.  It  means  the  making  of  a  navigable  sea  out  of  Hudson 
Bay,  cities  on  its  shores,  and  great  steel  foundries  close  to 
the  Arctic  circle,  where  there  is  coal  and  iron  enough  to  supply 
the  world  for  hundreds  of  years.  That's  only  a  small  part 
of  what  the  road  means.  .  .  ,  Lakes  and  rivers — hundreds 
of  them — thousands  of  them,  Greggy,  there  are  more  than 
three  thousand  lakes  between  here  and  civilisation  and  within 
forty  miles  of  the  new  railroad.  And  nine  out  of  ten  of 
these  lakes  are  so  full  of  fish  that  the  bears  along  'em  smell 
fishy.  Whitefish,  Gregson — whitefish  and  trout.  There  is 
a  fresh-water  area  represented  on  that  map  three  times  as 
large  as  the  whole  of  the  five  Great  Lakes,  and  yet  the  Cana- 
dians and  the  government  have  never  wakened  up  to  what 
it  means.  There's  a  fish  supply  in  this  northland  large  enough 
to  supply  the  world,  and  that  little  rim  of  lakes  that  I've 
mapped  out  along  the  edge  of  the  coming  railroad  represents 
a  money  value  of  millions." 

"  The  export  of  dressed  beef  by  this  cool  northern  route 
would  give  additional  value  to  the  north-west  prairies,  north  of 
where  wheat  is  grown.  For  heavy  or  bulky  imports  the  short 
route  by  Hudson  Bay  would  stand  unrivalled.  Most  of  the 
railway  iron  and  coal  required  in  the  north-west  could  be 
brought  in  the  vessels  returning  agricultural  products.  To 
the  north-west  this  route  presents  advantages  offered  by  no 
other.     By  this  route  immigrants  from  Europe  could  reach 


112  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

their  destination  on  the  Saskatchewan  and  Peace  Rivers 
almost  as  soon  and  as  cheaply  as  they  could  reach  Western 
Ontario  via  Quebec,  and  much  cheaper  than  via  New  York." — 
Calgary  News  Telegram,  Spring  1912. 

The  following  statement,  reported  to  have  been  made  by 
G.  C.  Hurdy,  one  of  the  largest  millers  of  Minneapolis,  to  the 
News  Telegram  of  Calgary,  on  his  return  from  the  coast  in 
the  spring  of  1913,  is  one  of  the  best  and  no  doubt  most  dis- 
interested boosts  which  the  Hudson  Bay  Road  has  yet  received, 
as  compared  with  the  Panama  Canal.  "  People  in  Vancouver," 
Mr.  Hurdy  said,  "  are  somewhat  alarmed  over  the  statement  by 
the  Hudson  Bay  railroad  officials  that  grain,  shipped  by  way 
of  Vancouver  through  the  Panama,  will  become  heated  in  the 
south  and  will  shrink  to  such  an  extent  that  shippers  will  not 
use  that  route  and  will  ship  the  crop  to  Hudson  Bay  ports, 
thence  to  Europe.  If  wheat  is  affected  by  the  heat  of  the 
Panama  country  you  can  depend  upon  the  shippers  of  the 
west  using  the  cooler  route  to  ship  it  to  the  foreign  market. 
A  shrinkage  would  mean  a  great  loss  to  them,  and,  according 
to  men  who  should  know,  there  is  little  doubt  but  that  the 
heat  of  the  Panama  is  to  be  dreaded.  The  Hudson  Bay 
railroad  is  bound  to  be  a  great  competitor  with  the  G.T.P. 
and  the  C.N.R.,  for  both  these  roads  and  the  C.P.R.  are 
confident  that  the  Panama  will  make  little  difference  to  the 
shipment  of  wheat  and  that  conditions  will  prove  that  the 
safest  and  best  route  to  send  the  shipments  is  over  eastern 
lines.  In  Vancouver  they  try  to  laugh  at  the  possibihty  of 
shrinkage  on  the  trip  south  through  the  Panama,  but  they 
are  not  aware  that  shipments  have  been  made  around  the 
Horn  to  Europe  and  that  the  heat  has  so  affected  the  grain 
that  a  great  loss  has  been  suffered  by  the  shippers  on  account 
of  the  wheat  getting  heated  and  shrinking  to  a  great  extent. 
Whether  this  will  happen  when  the  Panama  is  opened  remains 
to  be  seen,  but  there  is  a  glaring  possibility  that  the  wheat 
will  shrink,  and  if  it  does,  the  Panama  route  will  be  dis- 
regarded and  the  western  ports  will  not  realise  what  they  are 
now  very  jubilant  over.  In  fact,  if  there  is  any  difficulty  at 
all  found  with  the  Panama  route,  the  Hudson   Bay  route 


HUDSON  BAY  ROUTE  113 

will  be  taken  almost  exclusively,  for  it  is  hundreds  of  miles 
shorter  than  the  route  by  the  great  lakes  and  across  the  east, 
and  the  Hudson  Bay  railway  is  leaving  nothing  undone  to 
cover  the  great  wheat-growing  country  of  the  west  with  its 
network  of  lines.  In  fact,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  within 
the  next  two  years  the  wheat  shippers  of  Western  Canada 
will  be  getting  cheaper  rates,  and  will  be  shipping  the  mighty 
crops  of  this  country  over  lines  leading  to  Hudson  Bay,  and 
thence  to  Europe  by  an  excellent  steamship  service." 

The  following  is  a  part  of  the  speech  reproduced  from 
Hansard  which  Mr.  Foster  of  the  county  of  King's  in  one  of 
the  maritime  provinces  delivered  in  the  House  of  Commons 
in  the  spring  of  the  year  1913.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  Mr. 
Foster  travelled  into  the  waters  and  country  that  he  speaks 
of,  in  1912.  "  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  Hudson  Bay  route 
is  navigable  for  four  or  four  and  a  half  months  in  the  year, 
and  that  any  expenditure  which  this  or  any  succeeding 
government  may  make  with  regard  to  the  extension  of  a 
railway  into  that  section  of  Canada  in  order  to  make  that 
route  available,  will  in  the  future  result  in  immense  good 
to  the  country."  The  honourable  gentleman  then  gives 
particulars  of  the  respective  positions  of  Fort  Churchill 
and  Port  Nelson  to  the  Peace  River  Valley  and  other 
parts  of  Western  Canada,  showing  that  these  ports  are 
fifty-eight  miles  closer  to  Liverpool  than  New  York.  A 
United  States  consul  has  described  "  the  spruce  belt  of 
Canada  as  running  from  Labrador  north-westerly  to  Alaska, 
a  stretch  of  land  in  area  some  fifty-four  miles  larger  than  the 
state  of  New  York  and  possessing  untold  millions  of  feet  of 
timber — spruce,  fir,  pine  and  birch,"  Mr.  Foster  tells  of  the 
3000  miles  of  inland  navigable  waterways,  which  may  be 
connected  by  a  short  line  of  railway  only  30  miles  in  length; 
of  the  fact  that  wheat  has  been  successfully  grown  within 
16  miles  of  the  arctic  circle  in  the  Mackenzie  Valley,  and 
predicts  for  the  northern  section  of  Canada  a  wonderful  future. 
In  his  opinion  the  spending  of  a  few  millions  of  dollars  on  the 
construction  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  is  the  precursor  of 
vaster  expenditures  in  the  same  part  of  the  country.    And 

H 


114  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

he  goes  on:  "  From  what  study  I  have  given  to  this  subject 
I  am  profoundly  enthusiastic  over  the  great  possibiHties  of 
this  northern  country.  I  am  profoundly  impressed  with  the 
belief  that  any  expenditure  wisely  made  by  this  government 
or  by  succeeding  governments  cannot  but  contribute  to  the 
future  development  of  the  country."  Referring  to  what 
another  member  of  the  House,  Mr.  German  of  Welland,  had 
said  a  few  moments  before  about  the  pseudo  non-navigability 
of  the  Hudson  Bay  route,  he  adds:  "  We  know  from  personal 
observation  that  we  have  found  greater  obstacles  in  the  straits 
of  Belle  Isle  where  steamers  operate  in  the  early  part  of  the 
summer  than  we  found  going  through  the  Hudson  Bay  Straits 
on  our  trip  last  year.  ...  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that 
instead  of  a  day  ten  or  twelve  hours  long,  they  have  in  that 
north  country  a  day  of  nineteen  or  twenty  hours  and  at  some 
seasons  of  the  year  they  have  not  more  than  three  or  four 
hours  of  night." 

In  the  report  of  W.  Thibaudeau,  civil  engineer,  "  on  explora- 
tory survey  of  country  between  Fort  Churchill  and  Le  Pas, 
in  connection  with  Hudson  Bay  route,  Ottawa,  May  lo, 
1907,"  the  following  information  is  of  special  interest:  "A 
railway  from  Le  Pas  on  the  Saskatchewan  to  Churchill  on 
Hudson  Bay  would  be  of  the  greatest  commercial  advantage 
for  the  people  of  the  west  and  north-west  for  the  following 
reasons:  The  average  saving  in  rail  transportation  for 
Manitoba,  Saskatchewan  and  Alberta,  via  Churchill,  as  against 
Montreal  to  Liverpool,  would  be  970  miles;  from  Montreal, 
via  Belle  Isle,  2761  miles;  from  Montreal,  via  Cape  Race, 
2927  miles;  from  New  York,  3079  miles.  The  freight  upon 
grain  from  the  wheat  belt  to  Hudson  Bay  would  approximate 
10  cents  a  bushel,  the  same  as  to  Port  Arthur;  the  additional 
15  cents  from  there  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard  would  be  saved 
to  the  farmer,  and  this  of  itself  represents  a  fair  profit  to  the 
wheat-grower.  Assuming  an  export  trade  of  20,000,000  of 
bushels,  which  can  be  easily  handled  in  two  months  of  the 
season  by  the  proposed  railway,  the  saving  of  15  cents  a 
bushel,  being  the  difference  in  cost  of  freight  from  Port  Arthur 
to  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  would  amount  to  $3,000,000.    A 


HUDSON  BAY  ROUTE  115 

very  important  feature  in  connection  with  a  railway  which 
secures  quick  access  to  the  sea  is  with  relation  to  the  shipping 
of  cattle  to  the  European  markets;  this  great  industry  is 
at  present  seriously  handicapped  in  consequence  of  the  long 
journey  to  be  endured  under  present  conditions.  It  is  admitted, 
as  well  as  a  well-recognised  fact,  that  cattle  shipped  to  the 
Atlantic  coast  arrive  at  the  shipping  port  in  poor  condition, 
emaciated  by  long  days  of  rail  travel.  It  is  also  admitted 
that  on  the  sea  journey  they  gain  rather  than  lose  in  flesh, 
if  put  on  board  in  good  condition.  Experience  proves  that 
after  three  days  of  rail  travel  cattle  will  deteriorate;  that 
three  days  is  about  the  limit  of  the  time  during  which  they 
can  travel  and  maintain  the  condition  in  which  they  are  placed 
on  board.  This  being  so,  cattle  could  be  transported  to  Fort 
ChurchiU  without  loss  in  flesh,  and  the  voyage  to  Liverpool 
would  improve  this  condition  rather  than  the  contrary. 
Therefore  this  great  industry  alone  would  find  in  the  Fort 
Churchill  route  a  solution  of  the  difficulty  under  which  those 
engaged  in  the  business  of  cattle  shipping  now  labour.  .  .  . 
Upon  the  82,000  head  of  cattle  shipped  to  Montreal  from  the 
west  during  the  past  season,  the  saving  in  freight  alone,  $6 
a  head,  or  in  round  figures  $650,000,  would  be  equal  to  about 
20  per  cent,  of  the  selling  price." 

"  The  successful  opening  of  this  route  will  be  the  signal 
for  wonderful  development  in  regions  that  a  while  ago  were 
regarded  as  practically  worthless.  Incidentally  the  shortening 
of  distance  and  reduction  of  freight  charges  to  the  Atlantic 
seaboard  may  be  expected  to  have  some  effect  upon  trans- 
portation on  this  side  of  the  line.  American  lines  will  have 
to  improve  their  facilities  and  their  efficiency  to  keep  pace 
with  Canadian  enterprise." — Minneapolis  Tribune,  Summer 

1913- 

"  Only  practical  experience  for  a  series  of  seasons  can  show 
the  average  period  for  which  the  route  will  be  open  at  moderate 
insurance  rates,  for  transatlantic  freight  carriers.  In  any 
case  there  will  undoubtedly  be  a  growing  coasting  traffic  be- 
tween Hudson  Bay  ports  and  that  at  James  Bay,  from  whence 
the  Quebec  Government,  with  federal  assistance,  will  provide 


ii6  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

a  railway  route  to  the  ports  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  which  are 
available  for  ocean  steamers  for  at  least  seven  months  in  the 
year." — Canada,  London,  England,  Summer  1913. 

"  It  is  said  here  that  the  Hudson  Bay  enterprise  is  of  special 
importance  to  Canada.  It  is  scarcely  of  secondary  importance 
to  the  United  States.  It  will  shorten  the  rail  haul  for  the 
grain  raised  in  the  American  north-west  and  destined  for 
Europe,  as  well  as  that  raised  in  the  Canadian  west.  .  .  . 
Atlantic  coast  ports  in  the  United  States  will  have  few,  if 
any,  advantages  over  Hudson  Bay  ports  in  export  shipments 
of  grain  for  a  short  season  every  year,  when  the  projected 
railroad  and  terminal  facilities  shall  have  been  completed. 
Very  short  will  be  the  na\dgable  season  on  the  Hudson  Bay, 
but  it  is  expected  to  be  long  enough  to  move  the  surplus  grain 
of  the  American  north-west  and  the  Canadian  west.  .  .  . 
Another  wonderful  dream  in  world  development  is  about  to  be 
realised." — The  Christian  Science  Monitor,  Boston,  Summer 

1913- 

"  Hudson  Bay  projects  far  into  the  interior  of  Canada,  and, 
if  it  can  be  utilised,  brings  the  great  wheat  area  into  close 
connection  with  the  European  market.  Its  ports  are  nearer 
Liverpool  than  is  Montreal,  and  the  resources  of  modern 
transportation  ought  to  be  able  easily  to  overcome  obstacles 
that  appeared  insurmountable  in  the  older  days  of  sailing 
vessels  dependent  on  favourable  winds.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
trade  is  to-day  being  carried  on  in  waters  that  are  even  less 
navigable  than  Hudson  Bay  was  ever  reputed  to  be.  The  bay 
itself  is  a  prolific  fishing  ground,  and  this  also  will  be  an  inestim- 
able boon  to  the  western  provinces." — Toronto  World,  Fall 

1913- 
"  But  however  great  things  in  and  around  this  vast  inland 

sea,  of  nearly  500,000  square  miles,  they  have  been  left 

practically  undeveloped  till  now.     The  railway  that  is  being 

built,  while  primarily  to  carry  the  wheat  from  the  west,  is 

destined  to  do  so  far  more  for  the  Dominion.     It  will  start  a 

trade  in  and  around  Hudson  Bay  that  will  result  in  industries 

not  yet  dreamed  of  by  the  most  optimistic.     Great  cities  will 

spring  up,  lands  now  a  barren  waste  will  be  cultivated  and 


,^d& 


HUDSON  BAY  ROUTE  117 

made  productive,  and  along  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  new 
fields  of  silver,  gold,  and  other  valuable  minerals  will  be 
developed  to  add  wealth  to  the  nation.  Keep  your  eyes  upon 
that  new  land,  for  they  are  getting  ready  to  do  things  worth 
while." — Anson  A.  Gard  in  Canadian  Magazine,  Winter 
1913-14. 

"  It  is  a  big  work  the  government  has  undertaken,  but  one 
that  is  rich  in  possibilities  of  usefulness.  The  Hudson  Bay 
route  will  greatly  relieve  the  pressure  on  the  Great  Lakes 
route,  and  tend  to  act  as  an  equaliser  of  freight  rates.  It  will, 
on  the  other  hand,  provide  a  short  route  from  British  ports  to 
the  west  for  certain  classes  of  heavy  freight  that  now  must 
come  to  us  over  a  long  and  costly  rail  haul.  Moreover,  the 
route  should  have  the  effect  of  opening  up  the  rich  fisheries 
of  Hudson  Bay,  until  now  all  but  untouched." — Winnipeg 
Telegram,  Summer  1913. 

"  Among  the  products  of  Eastern  Canada  which  should  find 
a  ready  market  in  the  growing  west,  via  Hudson  Bay,  are  coal 
and  iron.  This  opens  up  a  bright  prospect  of  trade  develop- 
ment between  Cape  Breton  and  Middle  Canada.  It  is  quite 
possible  that  within  the  next  few  years  there  may  be  a  line  of 
steamers  plying  between  Sydney  Harbour  and  Port  Nelson 
carrying  cargoes  both  ways." — Sydney,  N.S.,  Daily  Post, 
Summer  1913. 

Ex-Chief  Engineer  Armstrong  is  of  the  opinion  that  when 
the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  is  completed  to  Port  Nelson,  it  will 
be  found  necessary  to  immediately  lay  a  second  track  to  take 
care  of  the  traffic  which  will  offer.  The  Canadian  Government 
is  no  doubt  impressed  with  the  same  probability,  and  for  this 
reason,  from  the  beginning,  is  using  80  lb.  rails  and  laying  out 
extremely  long  sidings  at  short  distances  from  one  another. 

The  opinions  from  various  sources  which  have  been  pub- 
lished in  this  chapter,  while  supplementing  those  dealing  with 
the  navigation  of  the  bay  and  strait  proper,  will  help  the  reader 
to  form  an  opinion  of  the  good  features  of  the  project.  To  be 
complete  one  should  probably  publish  also  the  opinion  of  those 
who  have  spoken  against  it:  their  number  is  so  small,  how- 
ever, and  the  arguments  that  they  have  advanced  are  so 


ii8  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

evidently  prejudiced,  when,  indeed,  they  are  not  barefacedly 
and  intentionally  false,  that  we  have  deemed  it  advisable  not  to 
reproduce  any  here  in  addition  to  that  of  the  Monetary  Times 
quoted  for  the  sake  of  comparison  in  one  instance.  Without  a 
single  exception  almost,  none  of  the  men  who  have  spoken 
or  written  against  the  Hudson  Bay  route  have  personally 
visited  the  country  through  which  it  passes  or  the  bay  and 
strait,  while  a  great  number  of  those  whose  opinions  have  been 
printed  in  the  foregoing  pages  have  seen  with  their  own  eyes 
the  conditions  of  which  they  speak  or  write. 


GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES  119 


CHAPTER  XIII 

GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES 

The  chief  characteristic  of  the  country  extending  ahnost  from 
the  northern  limit  of  the  old  province  of  Manitoba  to  Hudson 
Bay  is  the  muskeg,  which  is  the  name  universally  used  to 
designate  what  would  otherwise  be  called  wet  barrens,  such 
as  are  found  in  the  Lake  Superior  country  and  in  Nova  Scotia. 
Its  depth  varies  from  a  few  inches  along  the  rivers  and  lakes 
to  half  a  dozen  feet  upward  in  the  worst  swamps.  Where 
sufficient  slope  for  drainage  can  be  secured,  it  is  an  easy  matter 
to  dry  the  muskeg,  which  is  usually  underlaid  by  a  fairly  good 
soil  of  clay  mixed  with  pebbles,  boulders,  when  not  limestone, 
thus  furnishing  good  foundations  for  buildings  and  other 
heavy  edifices. 

It  follows  that  the  relief  of  the  country  is  low  and  unpro- 
nounced,  the  whole  surface  sloping  somewhat  evenly  and 
regularly  towards  Hudson  Bay :  the  plain  so  formed  is  nothing 
but  deep  sea  cla3^  deposited  there  by  the  sea  following  the 
disappearance  of  the  glaciers  in  prehistoric  times.  The 
highest  point  is  at  Cranberry  portage  which,  at  the  height  of 
land,  forms  the  only  break  in  the  otherwise  complete  water 
communication  between  the  Saskatchewan  River,  the  Nelson 
River,  and  the  Churchill  River,  by  way  of  the  Goose  River 
which  discharges  into  Sturgeon  River,  and  the  Grass  River 
which  is  a  tributary  of  the  Nelson  River:  the  elevation  at 
Cranberry  Lake  is  935  feet  above  the  sea.  The  lowest  area  is 
near  Sipiwisk  Lake,  where  the  elevation  falls  to  about  565  feet. 

"  The  most  noticeable  range  of  hills  is  that  which  crosses 
the  Saskatchewan  River  at  the  Pas.  This  ridge  is  mainly  of 
glacial  origin  and  is  from  20  up  to  90  feet  high,  but  situated  as  it 
is  in  a  flat  country,  it  forms  a  very  prominent  feature.  The 
escarpment  formed  by  the  outcrop  of  the  Palaeozoic  limestones 
along  the  southern  edge  of  the  valley  of  the  upper  part  of  the 


120  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Grass  River,  is  another  prominent  feature.  This  is  in  the 
form  of  a  nearly  continuous  diff  50  or  60  feet  high  facing 
generally  to  the  north.  An  eastern  face  of  this  escarpment 
may  be  seen  on  Lake  Winnipeg,  from  which  it  probably 
continues  north."  ^ 

"  The  ridge  crossing  the  valley  at  the  Pas,  at  one  time  held 
back  a  large  lake,  and  in  this  was  accumulated  a  thick  deposit 
of  sediment,  but  as  the  outlet  across  the  ridge  was  worn  down, 
the  lake  disappeared.  The  river  channel  across  this  basin  is 
built  apparently  above  the  flood  plain.  The  land  on  either 
side  is  raised  but  little  above  the  bed  of  the  river  channel,  and 
so  is  subject  to  periodic  inundations.  In  the  country  which 
formed  the  shore  of  this  lake,  it  is  generally  found  that  lime- 
stone beds  are  not  far  below  the  surface,  being  covered  by  a 
light  deposit  of  boiilder  clay  and  the  lacustrine  silt  which 
supports  a  growth  of  spruce  and  poplar. 

"  In  its  upper  part  the  stream  (the  Saskatchewan)  is  still 
actively  cutting  in  its  channel,  and  its  waters  are  at  all  times 
charged  with  the  denuded  material.  In  the  lower  part  of  the 
delta  the  process  is  reversed  and  the  stream  becomes  the 
active  agent  in  filHng  up  what  seems  to  have  been  a  chain  of 
lakes.  The  uppermost  one  was  probably  partly  filled  while 
the  higher  levels  of  Lake  Agassiz  still  covered  this  basin.  On 
its  recession  to  an  elevation  of  about  900  feet  in  this  vicinity, 
it  is  probable  that  there  still  remained  a  lake  whose  eastern 
margin  reached  to  the  ridge  at  the  Pas.  On  the  further 
recession  of  this  former  lake,  the  outlet  at  the  Pas  was  slowly 
worn  down  through  the  boulder  clay  and  parts  of  the  original 
lake  were  drained.  The  eastern  end  near  the  outlet  seems  not 
to  have  been  so  deeply  filled  by  river  detritus.  Through  the 
plain  thus  formed,  now  winds  not  only  the  channel  of  the  main 
stream,  but  also  several  other  small  ones.  The  course  followed 
by  the  river  of  late  years  is  by  a  channel  that  has  been  built 
up  so  high  above  the  surrounding  plain  that  at  several  points 

'  Reports  on  the  North-Eastern  portion  of  the  District  of  Saskatchewan 
and  Adjacent  Parts  of  the  Districts  of  Athabasca  andjieewatin,  by  J.  Burr 
Tyrrell,  M.A.,  B.Sc,  and  D.  B.  Dowling,  B.A.,  Sc,  1902,  Nos.  786,  787, 
p.  7fl. 


GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES  121 

other  channels  have  broken  out  and  connected  with  streams 
both  to  the  north  and  south.  Latterly,  however,  one  has  been 
opened  to  the  upper  part  of  Cumberland  Lake,  and  now  most 
of  the  water  of  the  river  passes  through  it,  and  in  this  way  the 
lake  acts  as  a  new  settling  basin  which  will  rapidly  silt  up."^ 

Limestone  and  lakes  are  two  other  features  of  the  district : 
in  some  places  the  former  is  buried  beneath  a  thickness  of 
from  10  to  100  feet  of  soft  grey  stratified  clay,  which  has  been 
deposited  on  the  rocky  floor  of  the  hills  and  the  valleys  alike. 
The  lakes,  from  the  shores  of  which  the  clay  has  been  some- 
times washed,  are  connected  by  rivers  flowing  between  low 
banks  of  clay,  except  for  the  spots  where  they  pitch  down 
rapids  and  cataracts  over  Archaean  rocks.  Occasionally  the 
streams  have  cut  narrow  valleys  from  10  to  80  feet  in  depth. 

The  surface  is  generally  forested,  though  most  of  the  valu- 
able timber  has  been  destroyed  by  fire:  white  spruce,  black 
spruce,  Banksian  pine,  birch,  aspen,  poplar,  cottonwood,  and 
tamarack  are  the  most  common  varieties  among  the  larger 
trees,  while  the  rowan  tree,  the  wild  cherry,  and  many  of  the 
smaller  fruits  such  as  raspberries,  gooseberries,  red  and  black 
currants,  strawberries,  blueberries,  and  headberries  grow 
beside  most  of  the  lakes  and  rivers. 

Much  of  the  land  is  well  adapted  for  agriculture.  For 
many  years  past  grains  and  vegetables  of  the  harder  varieties 
have  been  grown  at  the  different  trading  posts  and  Indian 
missions.  At  Foot  Print  Lake  on  the  Burntwood  River  by 
55°  48'  26"  N.,  a  few  years  ago,  "  both  the  trader  and  the 
m.issionary  had  excellent  gardens  in  which  they  were  success- 
fully growing  potatoes,  cabbages,  cauliflowers,  onions, 
radishes,  lettuce,  peas,  beans,  turnips,  carrots,  and  other 
vegetables,  and  many  of  the  Indians  had  patches  of  potatoes 
sufficiently  large  to  assist  materially  in  the  support  of  their 
families  throughout  the  winter."  ^  Wheat  ripens  well  at 
Norway  House  and  Cross  Lake  on  the  Nelson  River. 

^  Reports  on  the  North-Eastern  portion  of  the  District  of  Saskatchewan 
and  Adjacent  Parts  of  the  Districts  of  Athabasca  and  Keewatin,  by  J.  Burr 
Tyrrell,  M.A.,  B.Sc,  and  D.  B.  Dowling,  B.A.,  Sc,  1902,  Nos.  786.  787, 
p.  8  ff, 

» Ibid.  p.  7  f. 


122  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

"  Proper  drainage  is  however  needed  to  bring  much  of  the 
surface  into  a  condition  fit  for  agriculture.  Along  the  river 
banks  this  is  evident,  for  while  the  strip  bordering  the  streams 
produces  a  great  variety  of  grasses,  shrubs,  and  trees,  a  short 
distance  back  this  is  replaced  by  a  swamp  covered  by  moss 
and  stunted  spruce.  This  is  more  noticeable  in  the  western 
part  of  the  Nelson  valley,  where  the  country  is  thickly  covered 
by  a  coating  of  clay,  and  the  surface  is  so  uniformly  level  that 
its  gradual  slope  to  the  east  is  not  sufficient  to  drain  it.  The 
areas  to  which  it  would  be  possible  to  introduce  a  system  of 
drainage  would  at  first  be  restricted  to  a  narrow  margin  along 
the  streams."  ^ 

"  From  Nelson  River  westward  to  longitude  ioo°  30',  and 
from  the  north  end  of  Lake  Winnipeg  northward  to  beyond 
latitude  56°,  the  country  is  generally  covered  with  a  coating 
of  stratified  clay,  varying  in  thickness  from  a  few  feet  up  to 
50,  60,  or  even  100  feet.  This  clay  is  of  much  the  same 
character  as  that  of  the  Red  River  Valley,  having  been,  like  it, 
deposited  in  the  bed  of  the  old  post-glacial  lake  that  once 
occupied  the  basin  of  Lake  Winnipeg.  The  rivers  have,  as  a 
rule,  cut  down  through  this  clay  to  the  underlying  rock,  but 
away  from  the  water-stretches,  rock-exposures  are  not  of  very 
frequent  occurrence.  The  soil  is  rich  and  fertile,  and  since 
summer  frosts  do  not  seem  to  be  very  prevalent,  the  country 
will  doubtless  produce  in  abundance  all  the  hardier  roots  and 
cereals  grown  in  the  province  of  Manitoba,  and  cattle,  sheep, 
and  horses  could  be  successfully  raised.  If  the  country  were 
made  accessible  by  a  railway  passing  through  it  to  Hudson 
Bay,  it  would  certainly  support  a  considerable  agricultural 
population."  ^ 

The  following  are  the  formations  met  with  in  the  area  under 
consideration:  Recent,  Pleistocene  and  its  many  subdivisions, 
Silurian,  Cambrio-Silurian,  Huronian,  and  Laurentian. 

The  only  recent  deposit  worth  mention  is  the  peat  which  is 

1  Reports  on  the  North-Eastern  portion  of  the  District  of  Saskatchewan 
and  Adjacent  Parts  of  the  Districts  of  Athabasca  and  Keewatin,  by  J.  Burr 
Tyrrell,  M.A.,  B.Sc,  and  D.  B.  Dowling,  B.A.,  Sc,  1902,  Nos.  786,  787, 
p.  14  flf. 

*  Summary  Report  of  the  Geological  Survey,  1896,  No.  614,  p.  34  A. 


GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES  123 

encountered  northward  from  the  shore  of  Lake  Winnipeg, 
and  in  smaller  quantities  around  some  of  the  lakes  on  Burnt- 
wood  River.  Recent  deposits  in  the  valleys  are  of  small 
amount,  with  the  exception  of  the  delta  of  the  Saskatchewan 
River  above  Cedar  Lake,  part  of  which  may  have  been  formed 
before  the  recession  of  the  glacial  Lake  Agassiz,  although  it  is 
evident  that  there  is  an  enormous  amount  of  sediment  still 
being  brought  down  by  this  stream.  The  shore  lines  of  the 
lakes  are  usually  strongly  marked,  whether  the  beaches  are 
rocky,  sandy,  or  packed  with  heavy  boulders.  Bottom  land 
is  somewhat  lacking  in  the  valleys. 

The  coating  of  clay  which  covers  the  district  varies  in  com- 
position from  a  soft  impervious  blue  clay  to  a  light  grey  fine, 
porous,  clayey  silt,  everywhere  evenly  stratified,  with  boulders 
occasionally  protruding  in  the  lower  layers,  where  they  have 
been  deposited  by  the  retiring  Keewatin  glacier.  The  thick- 
ness of  the  bed  decreases  westward. 

Undisturbed  horizontal  limestone  of  about  the  age  of  the 
Niagara  formation  of  New  York  and  Eastern  Canada  may  be 
seen  at  several  low  outcrops  on  the  south  shore  of  Pine  Island 
Lake  at  Cumberland  House. 

Undisturbed  fiat-lying  limestone  underlies  the  region  south 
of  Grass  River,  terminating  in  the  north  in  a  steep  escarpment 
from  50  to  100  feet  high,  which  runs  north-westward  from  the 
north  end  of  Lake  Winnipeg  to  the  south  end  of  Wekusko 
Lake,  whence  it  turns  straight  westward  along  the  south  side 
of  Reed  Lake,  thence  to  take  a  southerly  direction  rounding 
up  Goose  and  Athapapuskow  Lakes.  This  limestone  is, 
generally  speaking,  thick  bedded  and  of  a  yellowish  -  grey 
colour,  which  in  some  places  changes  to  a  blotchy  red.  In 
the  underlying  sandstone  a  few  fossils  of  inferior  quality  are 
found. 

Two  bands  of  micaceous  schist,  in  more  or  less  vertical 
attitude,  apparently  squeezed  between  the  Laurentian  gneiss 
on  each  side,  join  towards  the  north-west  end  of  Cross  Lake: 
veins  of  white  quartz,  mispickel  and  pegmatitic  granite  cut 
them  here  and  there,  as  also  dykes  of  dark-grey  gabbro,  and 
quantities  of  iron-and-copper  pyrites. 


124  THE  HUDSOxN  BAY  ROAD 

A  thinly  foliated  staurolite  schist  strikes  down  the  northern 
arm  of  Wekusko  Lake,  and  for  a  short  distance  down  the 
Cross  River  below  it,  changing  gradually  into  a  fine-grained 
green  chloritic  schist.  Reddish  gneiss  and  light  grey  massive 
granite  are  found  on  the  east  side  of  Wekusko  Lake,  and  massive 
gabbro  and  red  granite  on  the  west  and  north  sides,  changing 
to  green  schistose  conglomerate  along  the  river.  A  number  of 
other  formations  of  rock  occur  until  Athapapuskow  Lake  is 
reached. 

Granites  and  granitoid  gneisses  of  Laurentian  type  underlie 
the  greater  portion  of  the  country.  As  a  rule  they  seem  to 
have  the  same  general  strike  as  the  adjoining  Huronian  rocks 
just  mentioned,  giving  the  two  formations  the  appearance  of 
having  been  disturbed,  altered  and  reduced  to  their  present 
condition  at  the  same  time. 

The  Nelson  River,  in  its  northerly  course  of  230  miles, 
from  Lake  Winnipeg  to  Split  Lake,  flows  in  one  or  more 
rather  shallow  and  often  ill-defined  channels  for  the  most 
part  through  a  country'  underlaid  by  Laurentian  granite  and 
gneiss.  At  Pipestone  and  Cross  Lakes  it  passes  over  an 
area  of  hornblende  and  mica-schists  and  highly  altered 
conglomerates,  through  shores  of  clay  and  peat,  granite, 
foliated  gneiss,  and,  in  places,  sand  and  pebbles,  massive 
diorite  and  scattered  boulders.  It  then  branches  out  in 
several  streams,  crosses  Playgreen  Lake  through  rocky  banks, 
marshy  bays  and  long  sandy  beaches  in  front  of  thick  woods; 
in  the  northern  part  there  are  many  boulders. 

Below  Sea  River  Falls,  ridges  of  sand  and  gravel,  capped 
with  Banksian  pines,  may  be  seen  as  far  as  Etoimami  River, 
below  which  to  Pipestone  Lake  the  banks  are  of  gneiss  covered 
with  clay,  and  cut  at  the  lowest  portage  by  a  dyke  of  fine- 
grained dark  green  diabase,  augite,  arnothosite  and  granite, 
altering  to  hornblende  and  gabbro  in  the  islands,  without 
boulders,  while  on  the  beach  are  lying  some  large  masses  of 
light  green  sericitic  schist,  the  pipestone  of  the  Indians. 

From  Cross  Lake  north-easterly,  the  Nelson  River  with 
its  many  falls  and  branches  f^ows  between  alternate  banks 
of  rock  and  clay  or  sand,  gravel  and  till,  here  low  and  swampy. 


GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES  125 

there  high  and  rocky,  everywhere  covered  with  a  growth  of 
poplars,  alders  and  other  trees,  as  well  as  grass,  vetches,  small 
plants  and  berry  bushes.  Here  and  there  clay  plains  open 
out,  chiefly  along  the  Burntwood  River,  one  of  the  Nelson's 
most  important  tributaries,  along  the  banks  of  which  a  fertile 
clay-covered  country  extends  towards  the  north  as  far  as 
Indian  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River  and  towards  the  north- 
east along  the  Nelson  River  to  its  mouth. 

To  follow  the  whole  of  the  425  miles  of  the  Nelson  River 
to  its  mouth  and  enumerate  the  various  rocks  and  other 
formations  through  or  over  which  it  winds  or  precipitates 
itself  is  a  task  which  is  not  within  the  scope  of  this  book. 
The  few  geological  terms  that  have  been  given  in  the  fore- 
going pages  will,  no  doubt,  suffice  to  give  the  reader  an  idea 
of  the  general  conformation  of  the  district,  the  greater  portion 
of  which  lies  within  the  hmits  of  this  great  river's  basin.^ 

Unfortunately,  however,  it  remains  to  be  added  that  this 
mighty  river  is  only  navigable  from  Cross  Lake  to  Manitou 
Rapids,  a  distance  of  about  60  miles,  although  some  writers 
would  have  us  believe  that  it  is  navigable  for  nearly  100  miles 
from  Lake  Winnipeg  at  its  southern  end,  and  for  130  miles 
from  Port  Nelson  at  its  mouth.  For  90  miles  before  reaching 
tide  water  it  is  a  continuous  rapid  on  which  nothing  but  a 
canoe  can  travel.  The  cascades,  rapids  and  falls  of  the  Nelson 
River  afford  a  total  possible  water  power  of  5,906,000  horse- 
power, which,  unfortunately  again,  it  will  be  almost  impossible 
ever  to  develop. 

1  Briefly  it  may  be  stated  that  from  Split  Lake  towards  the  bay  is 
Silurian  formation;    from  there  to  the  Pas  is  gneiss  granite  formation. 


126  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

CHAPTER  XIV 

NATURAL   RESOURCES 

For  a  good  many  people  the  Hudson  Bay  route  resolves 
itself  to  the  possibility  of  the  water  portion  through  the  strait : 
the  question,  however,  does  not  all  he  in  this  feature  of  the 
problem. 

It  has  been  shown  that  the  bay  proper  never  freezes  over: 
we  have  also  seen  in  the  report  of  ex-Chief  Engineer  Armstrong 
that  at  Port  Nelson  it  often  happens  that  near  the  point  where 
it  is  intended  to  build  the  wharves  the  water  does  not  freeze, 
and  when  it  does  the  ice  is  not  more  than  lo  inches  thick. 

On  the  east  side  of  James  Bay  flows  a  considerable  river 
with  a  good  port  at  its  mouth :  we  refer  to  the  Nottaway  River 
and  Port  Nottaway.  It  has  been  figured  that  if  a  railway 
were  to  be  built  connecting  Port  Nottaway  with  Quebec  or 
Montreal,  the  distance  between  the  western  wheat-fields  and 
Quebec  or  Montreal  would  be  shorter  by  about  150  miles. 
Even  admitting  that  the  distance  would  be  the  same  as  via 
the  Great  Lakes,  here  is  an  alternative  route  of  immense 
importance  when  it  is  known  that  records  kept  at  Port 
Nottaway  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  show  that  at  this 
point  the  depth  of  ice  is  never  more  than  three  feet.  The  present 
distance  by  railway  between  Saskatoon  and  Montreal  is 
1885  miles.  It  is  stated  by  some  persons  that  by  Nottaway 
the  distance  would  be  1900  miles,  or  just  15  miles  more; 
700  miles  of  this  route  would  be  by  water.  The  cost  of 
freight  by  the  present  route  is  $8.17  per  ton ;  by  the  proposed 
route  it  would  be  $5.58,  a  saving  of  almost  25  per  cent. 
These  figures  are  based  on  February  1912  prices. 

At  Vladivostock,  in  Northern  Siberia,  ice-breakers  are  at 
work  throughout  the  winter,  keeping  open  a  channel  several 
fathoms  wide  for  a  distance  of  scores  of  miles :  nothing  of  the 
sort  would  be  required  at  Port  Nelson  and  Port  Nottaway: 


NATURAL  RESOURCES  127 

this  route  would  therefore  have  the  advantage,  the  immense 
advantage,  over  the  lake  route,  of  being  open  the  year  round. 
This  the  people  of  Quebec  fully  realise,  hence  the  formation 
of  the  North  Bay  Railway  Company  at  Montreal  with  a  capital 
of  $10,000,000  for  the  construction  of  a  railroad  from  Not- 
taway  to  Quebec,  with  a  branch  line  to  Montreal,  According 
to  press  reports,  the  Federal  Government  would  give  a  subsidy 
of  $3,200,000,  while  the  province  of  Quebec  would  offer  a 
grant  of  8000  acres  per  mile  for  the  section  north  of  the  Trans- 
continental, and  5000  acres  per  mile  for  the  section  to  the 
south.  The  line  would  run  north-westerly  from  Montreal 
to  Nottaway,  crossing  the  Transcontinental  near  Bell  River. 
The  cost  is  estimated  at  from  $40,000  to  $50,000  per  mile, 
the  heaviest  expenditure  being  on  that  section  passing  through 
the  Laurentides. 

It  is  the  opinion  of  the  men  at  the  head  of  this  project  that 
it  will  form  the  cheapest  possible  grain  route  from  the  west, 
barring  always  the  feasibility  of  the  strait  route.  Consign- 
ments of  wheat  from  the  prairie  provinces  will  pass  over  the 
Hudson  Bay  Railway  to  be  unloaded  at  Port  Nelson,  whence 
large  steamers  will  carry  it  to  the  south-east  shore  of  James 
Bay,  and  up  the  Nottaway  River  to  the  point  of  transhipment, 
to  be  transported  over  the  rail  route  to  Quebec  or  Montreal. 

The  province  of  Ontario  is  also  making  a  bold  bid  for  the 
honour  of  first  reaching  the  bay  with  a  railway.  While 
Quebec  had  men  out  selecting  the  site  of  Nottaway,  the 
Ontario  Government  was  getting  busy  and  selecting  a  harbour 
and  terminus  at  Moose  Factory  for  an  extension  of  its  Temis- 
kaming  and  Northern  Ontario  line  from  Cochrane.  So  that 
when  the  main  Hudson  Bay  Railway  reaches  Canada's  great 
inland  sea,  the  eastern  provinces  bordering  on  the  latter's 
shores  will  be  found  in  readiness  to  take  full  advantage  of 
the  new  route  of  communication  and,  if  possible,  to  divert 
as  much  of  the  traffic  offering  over  it  as  possible. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  recent  formation  of  such  companies 
as  the  Hudson  Bay,  Peace  River  and  Pacific  Railway  and  the 
Alberta,  Peace  River  and  Eastern  Railway,  with  terminals  on 
both  the  Pacific  Coast  and  the  bay,  indicates  that  the  west  is 


128  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

fully  familiar  with  the  possibilities  of  the  new  route  of  com- 
merce which  will  follow  the  opening  of  the  Hudson  Bay  route. 

But  the  carrying  of  the  grain  of  the  western  wheat  fields 
cannot  be  the  only  reason  for  the  spending  of  the  millions  of 
dollars  which  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  will  cost :  the  natural 
resources,  in  the  country  that  it  or  its  adjuncts  or  complements 
wiU  traverse,  alone  would  justify  the  expense.  Volumes 
could  be  written  on  the  subject.  The  object  of  this  book 
being  to  furnish  information  about  the  project  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  route  in  general,  including  the  district  which  it  is  being 
built  through,  we  shall  now  enumerate  rapidly  the  main 
natural  resources,  as  they  are  known  from  the  very  meagre 
exploration  which  has  been  made  so  far.^ 

Whatever  the  original  purpose  for  the  formation  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  may  have  been,  from  the  moment 
that  the  men  who  were  employed  by  the  gentlemen  adven- 
turers began  to  explore  the  shores  of  Hudson  Bay  and  obtain 
an  authentic  idea  of  the  resources  of  the  country,  the  fur 
trade  struck  them  as  offering  unparalleled  chances  for  excep- 
tional returns,  and  quite  naturally  the  efforts  of  the  members 
of  the  company  were  bent  on  the  development  of  this  one 
resource;  quite  naturally,  also,  they  discouraged ^ — until 
recently  when  conditions  made  it  necessary  for  them,  if  not 
to  prove  experiments  along  other  lines,  at  least  to  permit 
them  to  be  tried — ^the  establishment  of  grain-growing  or 

1 "  After  a  few  more  years'  inflow  of  immigration  at  the  present  rate, 
Canada's  future  expansion  as  an  agricultural,  lumbering,  mining,  and 
industrial  country  will  depend  upon  the  exploitation  of  the  natural 
resources  of  the  Dominion's  vast,  unexplored  northland." — Opening 
words  of  introduction  to  the  New  North-West,  Senate  Report,  1907. 

'  See  footnote  i  of  Chapter  II.  and  the  testimonies  of  travellers  in 
Chapter  XX.  The  following  taken  from  The  Life  and  Times  of  Lord 
Strathcona,  by  W.  T.  R.  Preston,  page  298,  is  just  to  the  point:  "  Had 
there  been  no  Hudson's  Bay  Company  or  had  the  Company  not  de- 
liberately prevented  the  expansion  of  Western  Canada  for  so  many 
decades  after  it  should  have  been  open  to  the  world,  the  population  of 
Canada  would  now  be  nearer  to  twenty  than  seven  millions.  If  the 
Stuart  dynasty  blighted  English  histor>',  it  also  cast  its  evil  spell  over 
Canada  at  the  time  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  was  chartered.  For 
the  sake  of  the  private  interests  of  a  few  friends  of  the  monarch  who 
wanted  to  traffic  with  a  public  franchise,  an  incalculable  loss  of  millions 
of  a  sturdy  race  of  people  was  inflicted  on  the  Empire." 


NATURAL  RESOURCES  129 

cattle-raising  farms,  or  any  other  industry  which,  by  bringing 
population  to  the  country,  would  forcibly  limit  the  territory 
of  the  fur-bearing  animals  by  driving  them  into  the  icy  deserts 
of  the  north.  While  the  fur  trade  is  not  so  important  to-day 
in  Manitoba's  new  territory  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Radisson 
and  Groseillers  and  the  men  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
who  followed  them,  nor  even  as  good  as  when  the  Scotch 
merchants  of  Montreal  first  made  their  appearance  in  Rupert's 
Land,  the  amount  of  money  which  is  paid  yearly  to  the  Indian 
and  white  trappers  for  all  kinds  of  furs  is  enormous,  represent- 
ing at  the  Pas  alone  a  sum  of  $500,000.  Of  course,  with  the 
advent  of  railway  communication,  quite  a  number  of  the 
northern  ports  are  served  from  the  Pas,  and  they  in  return 
have  their  packs  of  furs  transferred  there.  But  there  are 
other  important  points,  such  as  Grand  Rapids  and  Norway 
House  in  the  interior.  Fort  Churchill  and  York  Factory  on 
the  bay,  which  manage  their  affairs  independently  of  the 
Pas,  and  are  also  similar  centres — probably,  in  fact,  more 
important  points.  The  chief  fur  found  is  that  of  the  muskrat, 
also  called  muskwash.  At  the  Pas  it  is  figured  that  over  one- 
half  of  the  trade  is  represented  by  this  fur.  It  suffices  to 
have  a  look  at  the  various  fur  warehouses  of  the  town  to  be 
convinced  of  this  fact.  At  certain  epochs,  rooms  are  filled 
with  the  small  skins  to  the  ceiling,  while  only  a  few  others, 
beavers,  fishers,  sables,  minks,  musk  oxen,  wolves,  foxes,  etc., 
are  to  be  seen.  Of  course  these  are  more  valuable  than  the 
muskrat  and  it  takes  considerably  fewer  to  make  up  the  same 
amount  of  money. 

It  is  in  the  early  summer  and  the  late  fall  of  the  year,  after 
the  ice  has  cleared  or  formed  on  the  lakes  and  rivers,  that  the 
trappers,  native  or  white,  come  in  with  their  packs  of  valu- 
able crop,  in  canoes  or  in  carioles  according  to  the  season. 
They  are  often  met  at  the  landing  or  in  the  street  by  the 
greedy  buyers.  The  white  trappers  sell  as  and  to  whom 
they  please.  The  Indians  receive  the  protection  of  the 
Federal  authorities;  the  packs  are  deposited  with  the  agent, 
who  receives  bids  and  sells  to  the  highest  bidder,  when  the 
Indian  has  not  contracted  a  debt  in  one  of  the  stores  for  traps 

I 


I30  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

or  supplies  for  which  he  has  agreed  to  fetch  a  certain  number 
of  furs.  With  cash  in  towns  Hke  the  Pas,  or  goods  reasonably 
valued  in  the  remote  posts  given  in  exchange  for  the  furs 
that  the  trapper  has  caught  for  the  market,  we  are  far  from 
the  days  when  the  poor  Indian  had  to  pile  up  beaver  skins 
tightly  around  an  old  gun  to  become  the  owner  of  that  gun, 
which  shows  also  that  the  Indian  has  become  educated  to  the 
relative  value  of  things  and  the  importance  of  competition 
in  trade. 

As  early  as  the  beginning  of  the  second  half  of  the  i8th 
century,  one  of  the  early  writers  on  the  Hudson  Bay  district, 
Robson,  could  see  a  wonderful  future  ahead  of  the  country 
in  the  fishery  line.  In  our  days,  that  American  writer  on 
the  north,  Curwood,  simply  falls  into  ecstasy  before  the 
immense  possibilities  of  this  industry  in  New  Manitoba. 
Both  justly  wonder  why  better  efforts  are  not  made  to  develop 
this  most  interesting  and  well-paying  natural  resource.  The 
fact  is  that  the  innumerable  lakes  which,  with  the  many 
rivers,  form  the  main  features  of  the  country,  are  teeming 
with  fish.  True,  a  few  firms  have  turned  their  attention 
that  way,  and  each  winter  men  are  employed  by  them  on  the 
lakes  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Pas,  whence  car-loads  are  shipped 
to  the  American  cities.  But  in  comparison  to  the  extent 
of  the  possibilities  afforded,  what  little  development  has  taken 
place  so  far  would  hardly  be  worth  mentioning  if  it  were  not 
to  show  what  can  be  done.  No  doubt,  however,  that  with 
the  opening  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway,  chances  for  the 
growth  of  this  most  important  industry  will  increase,  and 
it  may  be  expected  that  before  many  months  this  business 
will  be  one  that  will  employ  a  good  many  men,  not  only  during 
the  winter  season,  but  also  in  summer,  for  of  what  advan- 
tage to  the  prairie  districts  will  the  facility  of  procuring 
fresh  fish  within  the  limits  of  their  own  territory  not 
be?  The  time  is  not  far  distant  when  the  dealers  of 
Western  Canada  will  abandon  the  habit  of  depending  on  fish 
from  the  Great  Lakes  or  British  Columbia  to  supply  their 
customers.  There  are  tons  of  this  natural  food  going  to 
waste  every  year  in  the  northern  lakes,  only  awaiting  trans- 


NATURAL  RESOURCES  131 

portation  to  the  homes  of  the  western  farmers  within  300 
or  400  miles  distance.  Aknost  every  kind  of  fish  which  may 
be  thought  of  is  found  in  these  northern  waters,  and  large 
samples  weighing  a  goodly  number  of  pounds  are  of  common 
occurrence. 

But  the  lakes  and  rivers  of  New  Manitoba  are  not  the  only 
places  where  an  important  fish  industry  can  be  developed. 
There  is  also,  and  above  all,  the  bay  itself,  where  it  is  thought 
a  salmon  industry  will  receive  sufficient  impetus,  as  soon  as 
the  road  is  open  for  traffic,  to  rival  that  of  British  Columbia. 
No  doubt,  further,  whale-fishing  and  the  marketing  of  this 
mammal's  product  will  help  considerably  to  furnish  freight 
to  the  trains  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  bound  for  the 
interior.  From  a  table  prepared  by  Dr.  Boas,  it  appears 
that  for  twenty-nine  years  the  United  States  has  sent  113 
vessels  to  Hudson  Bay  whale-fishing,  and  that  they  have 
obtained  1620  barrels  of  sperm,  56,900  barrels  of  whale  oil, 
and  nearly  a  milUon  pounds  of  whalebone,  which,  considering 
that  the  average  size  of  these  ships  was  only  240  tons,  makes  it 
clear  that  there  must  have  been  a  very  handsome  margin  of 
profit.  The  white  whale,  which,  in  consequence  of  the  high 
price  of  whalebone,  namety  Si2,ooo  a  ton,  is  by  far  the  richest 
prize  a  whaler  can  capture,  attains  a  size  of  from  fifty  to  sixty 
feet.  It  is,  of  course,  getting  scarce,  but  the  white  whale 
still  abounds,  going  up  the  rivers  with  every  tide.  So  tame 
is  it  that  it  approaches  within  twenty  feet  of  the  boats.  These 
whales  will  each  average  about  forty  gallons  of  oil,  and  the 
skin  is  valuable,  bringing  from  $20  to  $30  apiece.  The 
marshal  (or  unicorn)  and  the  walrus  also  exist  in  considerable 
numbers,  and  well  repay  the  trouble  of  hunting  them;  while 
the  seal  swarms  upon  the  ice.  It  does  not  seem  unreason- 
able to  expect  that  the  completion  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Railway  will  mean  interesting  developments  for  the  fisheries 
of  Hudson  Bay  by  giving  them  rapid  communication 
with  the  markets  of  the  interior  for  the  disposal  of  their 
products. 

Very  little  prospecting  has  so  far  been  done  with  a  view  to 
discover  what  mineral  resources  are  to  be  found  in  the  country 


132  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

which  will  be  traversed  by  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway.  Yet 
it  is  already  known  that  the  following  minerals  exist:  Iron- 
stone, nickel,  manganiferous  iron  ore,  gold,  silver,  molyb- 
denum, copper,  hgnite,  gypsum,  petroleum-bearing  limestone, 
anthracite,  various  kinds  of  ornamental  stone,  mica,  clays, 
plumbago,  carbonate  of  iron,  amber.  It  is,  of  course,  hard 
to  say  in  what  quantity  each  of  these  minerals  exists;  in 
some  instances  the  signs  are  very  encouraging,  while  in  others 
only  traces  have  so  far  been  noticed.  The  best  and  most 
authentic  results  seem  so  far  to  have  been  obtained  by  the 
Wright-Bancroft  party,  which  has  been  busy  for  the  past 
year  ^  in  the  district  about  Thicket  Portage,  150  miles  north 
of  the  Pas  along  the  Hudson  Bay  road.  Fitted  up  at  con- 
siderable expense  by  some  of  the  directors  of  the  Canadian 
City  and  Town  Properties,  Limited,  and  this  company's 
western  manager,  Mr.  Edward  Baillie,  as  a  private  under- 
taking, this  party  spent  several  months  last  winter  and 
this  spring  studying  conditions  on  the  spot.  It  returned  to 
town  in  the  first  part  of  April,  and  has  since  returned  to 
its  field  of  labour.  According  to  the  gentlemen  composing 
this  party,  the  chiefs  of  which  have  spent  the  greater  portion 
of  their  lives  in  this  work,  and  can,  therefore,  be  relied  upon 
for  any  information  which  they  choose  to  give  out,  samples 
which  have  been  assayed  have  shown  $11  worth  per  ton  of 
copper  and  gold  in  most  of  the  groups  of  claims  located  by 
them;  in  one  case  nickel  proving  out  $10  to  the  ton  has  been 
found,  while  it  is,  they  say,  of  common  occurrence  to  find 
gold  turning  out  $5  to  $6  to  the  ton.  In  one  instance  a 
sample  found  at  a  depth  of  five  feet  only,  which  was  assayed 
by  E.  W.  Widdowson,  provincial  assayer  of  British  Columbia, 
proved  out  at  $17.47  for  copper  and  $1.66  for  gold  and  silver, 
making  a  total  of  $19.13  value  per  ton.  In  no  place  where 
any  digging  has  been  done  so  far  has  any  wall  been  found. 
The  greatest  difficulty  which  will  be  encountered  where  actual 
exploiting  is  attempted  will  be  the  keeping  out  of  water. 
If  means  can  be  devised  to  conquer  this  trouble  without 
excessive  expense,  from  the  present  indications,  none  of  which 

*  1912. 


NATURAL  RESOURCES  133 

are  the  result  of  deep  digging,  it  may  be  reasonably  surmised 
that  developments  of  the  mineral  resources  of  the  north  will 
prove  out  very  valuable. 

The  most  common  mineral  of  all,  however,  and  one  which 
has  attracted  very  httle  attention,  although  it  is  the  handiest 
of  access  and  the  easiest  to  develop,  with  an  assured  market, 
is  the  limestone  rock.  This  rock  is  found  in  small  quantities 
at  the  Pas.  When  one  gets  up  along  the  railway,  extensive 
beds  spreading  sometimes  for  a  considerable  distance  under 
the  ground  are  met  with  until  one  reaches  Cormorant  Lake, 
the  Narrows  and  Moose  Lake,  where  untold  quantities  are  to 
be  found.  The  contractors  have  used  and  are  still  using  an 
immense  quantity  of  this  rock  in  building  the  very  roadbed  of 
the  Hudson  Bay  Railway,  and  it  is  hardly  possible  to  tell 
where  they  have  taken  it.  Being  situated  right  along  the 
line  of  a  railway,  and  along  the  shores  of  lakes  and  rivers 
accessible  to  boats,  there  seems  to  be  no  reason  why  this 
important  natural  resource  should  not  be  developed  in  the 
near  future,  as  the  demand  for  this  kind  of  building  material 
can  only  be  on  the  increase,  and  a  market  exists  for  it  at  the 
present  time,  not  only  at  the  Pas,  where  more  substantial 
buildings  are  on  the  eve  of  being  erected,  but  also  in  the 
territory  in  Northern  Manitoba  and  Saskatchewan  accessible 
from  that  town.  Indeed,  the  limestone  to  be  found  along 
the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Pas  is  destined 
in  the  near  future,  as  Chief  Engineer  Armstrong  predicted  in 
1909,  to  become  the  future  source  of  supply  for  the  greater 
part  of  these  two  provinces.^ 

1  Since  this  was  written,  important  gold  finds  liave  been  made  at 
Beaver  Lake,  north  of  Cumberland  House,  and  within  a  reasonable 
distance  from  the  Pas,  whence  most  of  the  expeditions  have  started. 
Everything  indicates  that  gold  exists  in  pa^'ing  quantities,  and  an 
important  settlement  has  now  been  established.  The  Beaver  Lake 
Gold  Mining  Company,  the  main  company  making  operations,  has  now 
important  machinery  on  the  ground.  Samples  extracted  from  veins 
in  that  company's  holdings  assayed  by  Milton,  Hersey  &  Company, 
Limited,  of  Montreal,  have  shown  gold  values  ranging  from  $io  to 
$226.80  per  ton:  one  sample  has  given  $560  and  another  S1600  to 
the  ton.  Other  samples  treated  by  Crittenden  &  Cullity,  mining 
engineers,  at  the  company's  office  at  Beaver  Lake,  have  shown 
values  ranging  from  $4.20  to  $16.00  per  ton,  while  two  samples  have 


134  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

It  is  well  known  that  between  the  Pas  and  Split  Lake  there 
exists  an  area  of  about  10,000  square  miles  which  is  charac- 
terised by  a  heavy  clay  soil  entirely  free  from  boulders.^ 
Rock  flour  deposited  by  glacial  streams  in  the  quiet  waters 
of  a  great  lake  has  formed  lacustrine  clays,  of  which  both 
the  soil  and  the  subsoil  are  composed,  so  merged  together 
that  it  is  excessively  difficult  to  tell  where  the  difference  begins ; 
in  places,  immediately  the  leaves,  moss  and  other  packed 
vegetation  are  removed,  pure  clay  appears.  Generally, 
however,  about  six  inches  of  loam  have  already  formed  on 
the  clay,  from  the  slow  decomposition  of  the  numerous 
vegetable  matters  which  have  lain  there  for  centuries,  slowly 
turning  into  a  rich  soil;  while  on  the  ridge  tops,  where  the 
moss  and  other  plants  do  not  abound,  the  brown  clay  is  almost 
on  the  surface.  The  10,000  square  miles  which  extend  from 
the  valley  of  the  Nelson  River  westward  to  near  Bumtwood 
and  Wekusko  Lakes  form  a  gently  rolling  plateau,  rising  in 
places  as  high  as  50  feet  above  the  neighbouring  rivers. 
Fair,  natural  drainage  is  available.  In  getting  away  from 
the  valleys  of  the  larger  streams,  however,  the  land  is  so  low 
that  it  would  be  necessary  to  employ  artificial  means  to  get 
rid  of  the  surface  water  which  renders  the  land  unsuitable 
at  present  for  agricultural  purposes. 

gone  as  high  as  $208  and  $492  per  ton|respectively.^  On  the  other 
hand,  early  in  191 5,  important  gold  finds  have  been  made  at  a  point 
known  as  Herb  Lake,  a  short  distance  from  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway 
north-east  of  the  Pas,  in  the  district  visited  in  191 3  by  the  Bancroft- 
Wright  party.  While  no  reliable  figures  have  yet  been  published, 
values  are  said  to  range  so  far  from  a  trace  of  gold  to  $39.08  per  ton.^ 
One  of  the  original  locators  is  reported  to  have  sold  his  claim  for 
$3000.  Acknowledging  the  importance  of  the  mineral  developments 
at  Beaver  Lake  and  Herb  Lake,  the  Government  of  Manitoba  has 
placed  S500  and  Si 000  respectively  in  the  hands  of  the  officers  of  the 
Pas  Board  of  Trade  for  the  building  of  roads  to  help  miners  and  pro- 
spectors to  reach  their  destinations,  from  the  various  lakes  over  a 
portage  in  the  case  of  Beaver  Lake,  and  from  the  railway  in  the  case 
of  Herb  Lake. 

'-  A  portion  of  this  district  is  now  opened  to  homesteaders. 

"  From  prospectus  of  the  Beaver  Lake  Gold  Mining  Company, 
Limited,  p.  18  et  seq. 

'  From  the  Pas  Herald  and  Mining  News,  Vol.  IV.,  No.  16,  March 
26,  1915. 


NATURAL  RESOURCES  135 

Apart  from  this  large  tract  of  land  which  the  spending  of 
a  few  hundred  thousand  dollars  would  render  available  for 
settlement,  one  must  not  forget  that  along  the  Saskatchewan 
River  and  the  different  streams  which  flow  into  it  between 
Cumberland  House  and  the  Pas,  and  east  of  this  town  as  far 
as  Grand  Rapids,  there  is  a  considerable  tract  of  land  which 
is  sure  to  become,  within  the  next  quarter  of  a  century,  one 
of  the  best  farming  districts  of  Western  Canada.  All  that  is 
required  is  that  the  project  of  lowering  the  level  of  the  river 
by  dredging  it  and  cutting  through  the  head  of  the  Grand 
Rapids  at  Lake  Winnipeg  be  given  the  necessary  impetus 
to  bring  it  to  an  accomplished  fact.  Nature,  which,  if  given 
time,  does  not  fail  to  attain  any  aim  which  may  be  set  for  it, 
is  doing  its  best  to  that  end,  and  year  after  year  carries  in 
the  course  of  its  main  river  a  large  quantity  of  sediment 
which  it  deposits  here  and  there,  slowly  elevating  the  numer- 
ous marshes  over  which  it  spreads  its  muddy  waters:  for 
they  are  nothing  but  marshes  with  an  excess  of  water,  all 
those  so-called  shallow  lakes  which  border  the  Saskatchewan 
River  and  its  tributaries  from  Grand  Rapids  westward  almost 
to  Fort  k  la  Come,  this  side  of  the  point  where  the  two  Sas- 
katchewans  meet  below  Prince  Albert.  One  may  imagine 
what  a  rich  soil  would  be  conquered  on  the  floods  of  this 
mighty  river,  if  its  course  could  be  in  some  manner  regulated 
and  kept  within  safe  bounds,  since  this  soil  would  be  entirely 
alluvial,  and  therefore  of  the  best  quality  which  may  possibly 
be  desired.  The  Federal  Government  has  now  an  engineering 
party  working  up  from  Grand  Rapids,  and  it  is  understood 
that  part  of  the  men's  work  will  consist  in  figuring  out  the 
feasibility  of  a  scheme  whereby  the  level  of  the  river  may  be 
lowered,  and  the  immense  marshes,  low  lands  and  shallow 
lakes,  which  would  then  be  from  10  to  12  feet  above  high- 
water  mark,  may  become  a  rich  agricultural  country,  where 
furrows  fifty  miles  long  could  be  ploughed  without  a  stone 
or  any  other  impediment  in  the  way. 

The  question  arises  here :  granting  that  this  work  be  done 
and  this  land  be  reclaimed,  would  not  the  northern  climate 
be  a  natural  bar  to  the  growing  of  ordinary  cereals  and 


136  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

principally  wheat?  In  this  respect,  it  is  well  to  remember 
that  daylight  is  the  main  requisite  for  the  fast  ripening  of 
grain.  Vegetation  matures  wonderfully  in  northern  latitudes, 
owing  to  the  very  long  days  during  the  growth  season.  Accord- 
ing to  Chief  Engineer  Armstrong  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway, 
a  study  of  records  of  the  Meteorological  Office  indicates  that 
there  is  no  reason  why  farming  operations  would  suffer  more 
in  the  district  between  the  Pas  and  the  Hudson  Bay  than 
they  do  at  Prince  Albert. 

The  fact  that  most  of  the  land  between  the  different  rivers 
which  empty  into  Hudson  Bay,  by  means  of  the  Churchill 
and  the  Nelson  Rivers,  has  remained  more  or  less  unexplored 
all  these  years  is  no  doubt  the  main  basis  for  the  assertion 
often  made  that  this  northern  country  is  too  cold  for  the 
growing  of  grain.  But  when  one  knows  that  at  several  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  posts  as  far  north  as  56°  wheat 
has  been  successfully  grown,  that  at  Lac  la  Ronge  by  55°  it 
nas  been  harvested  for  seven  years  in  succession  without  frost, 
that  at  Cross  Lake  by  55!°  it  ripens  well,  that  at  Norway 
House  by  54°,  Stanley  House  55^°,  Nelson  House  54°,  it  has 
been  cultivated  with  equal  success,  one  wonders  why  this 
false  opinion  about  the  north  should  exist.  The  amazement 
increases  when  one  reads  that  Hudson  Bay  was  the  first  part 
of  Western  Canada  to  become  known,  and  that  many  of  the 
experiments  just  mentioned  were  made  at  York  Factory 
before  there  had  been  any  attempt  at  growing  any  sort  of 
cereals  or  vegetables  in  the  Red  River  valley  and  on  the 
western  plains,  indeed  even  before  these  were  known  to  exist. 
A  few  years  before  Captain  de  la  Corne  made  his  first  experi- 
ment at  farming  in  the  Carrot  River  valley,^  in  1754,  was  not 
Robson  writing:  "The  climate  of  Hudson's  Bay  is  very 
habitable:  the  soil  is  rich  and  fruitful,  fit  for  growing  corn  "  ? 

Even  if  it  had  not  been  proved  beyond  doubt,  by  the  trials 
made  during  the  last  century  and  a  half  at  the  posts  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  that  wheat  may  be  successfully 
grown,  is  it  not  generally  admitted  that  the  possibilities  of 

1  A  number  of  farmers  and  families  are  now  settling  in  this  district 
as  squatters,  the  lands  having  not  yet  been  surveyed. 


NATURAL  RESOURCES  137 

acclimatisation  and  selection  are  countless,  and  that  tropical 
plants  are  daily  working  their  way  northward  by  a  natural 
and  gradual  process  of  adaptation,  a  fortiori  more  hardy 
cereals  ? 

The  next  farming  country  to  which  the  farmers  coming 
from  all  parts  of  the  world  will  migrate  will  be  Manitoba's 
new  territory;  the  sturdy  men  who  will  not  fear  a  little  hard 
work  at  the  start  will  in  time  become  the  most  prosperous 
farmers  of  Western  Canada,  for  they  will  be  settled  the  closest 
to  the  markets  of  the  world,  within  a  few  hours'  run  from  an 
ocean  port. 

Millions  of  dollars  will  no  doubt  be  required  to  bring  about 
these  conditions,  but  it  will  be  money  well  spent  and  which 
will  soon  be  repaid  a  hundredfold  and  more.  Indeed,  Mani- 
toba as  a  farming  province  is  far  from  having  used  up  its 
territory.^ 

Next  to  the  furs,  the  forests  are  at  present  an  important 
source  of  revenue  in  New  Manitoba,  although  they  are  far 
from  having  received  the  attention  and  the  consequent 
development  that  they  well  deserve.  The  timber  is  of  two 
kinds,  that  which  is  large  enough  to  be  sawed  into  lumber 
or  turned  into  ties,  and  that  which  is  of  the  size  which  is 
used  for  making  pulp.^  The  Finger  Lumber  Company,  Ltd., 
have  erected  a  monstrous  mill  at  the  Pas  where  they  manu- 
facture all  kinds  of  lumber,  employing  the  best  machinery 
procurable,  which  does  away  with  the  necessity  of  employing 
as  large  a  number  of  men  as  is  generally  found  in  mills  of  its 
size ;  it  is  recognised  to  be  one  of  the  largest,  most  up-to-date 
saw-mills  on  the  continent.  It  is  equipped  with  gang-saw 
machinery,  gang-sawed  lumber  being  admitted  as  the  best 
that  can  be  manufactured.  The  capacity  of  the  mill  is 
125,000  feet  per  ten-hour  day.     The  drying  yards  occupy 

1  The  whole  of  Chapter  XVIII.  has  been  devoted  to  the  study  of  the 
climate  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Territory. 

^  It  has  been  estimated  that  there  are  5,756,660  cords  of  pulpwood  in 
the  sole  region  between  the  Pas  and  Split  Lake,  extending  10  miles  in 
width  on  either  side  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway.  At  $6.50  per  cord, 
which  is  3  cents  less  than  the  average  price  of  pulpwood  in  Canada  in 
1913,  this  represents  a  value  of  $37,318,290.00, 


138  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

480  acres  of  land.  The  statement  has  been  made  by  their 
President  that  once  their  intention  of  dupHcating  the  present 
capacity  of  their  mill  has  been  carried  into  effect,  the  limits 
that  they  have  secured  on  the  Carrot  River,  on  the  Saskatche- 
wan River,  and  on  the  adjoining  lakes,  will  contain  enough 
timber  to  last  them  fifty  years.  Spruce  is  the  most  common, 
not  to  say  the  only  timber  available :  it  is  not  of  a  very  large 
sample,  but  the  supply  is  quite  abundant  in  places. 

It  is  now  admitted  that  along  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway 
forests  exist  where  lumber  of  a  marketable  quaUty  will  be 
found  in  sufficient  quantity  to  guarantee  the  erection  of  several 
mills  on  the  different  rivers  and  on  the  numerous  lakes  of  this 
northern  country.  The  Hudson  Bay  Construction  Company 
have  a  tie  mill  near  Westray  on  the  Pas  River  south-west  of 
the  Pas,  and  have  several  tie  camps  along  the  Carrot  and  the 
Saskatchewan  Rivers,  as  well  as  on  Clearwater  Lake  and  other 
lakes  up  the  line :  they  will  be  able  to  procure  all  the  ties  that 
they  will  require  for  the  construction  of  the  road  along  the 
line  at  a  short  distance  on  both  sides  of  the  right  of  way.  The 
timber  not  being  of  a  large  size  would  naturally  make  splendid 
material  for  the  pulpwood  industry,'-  which,  so  far,  has  re- 
ceived no  one's  attention,  no  doubt  on  account  of  the  facility 
there  is  of  procuring  all  this  material  in  Northern  Quebec 
and  Northern  Ontario  in  proximity  to  railroads.  But  once 
the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  gives  the  necessary  connection, 
this  industry  in  New  Manitoba  is  sure  to  attract  attention. 
It  has  been  figured  that  the  press  of  Western  Canada  alone 
could  make  use  of  all  the  products  that  would  be  turned  out 
of  the  mills  for  some  time,  and  that  the  manufacture  of  paper, 
so  to  speak,  on  the  ground,  should  mean  a  great  saving  to 
these  newspapers. 

Most  of  the  parties  who  have  travelled  in  this  northern 
country,  either  as  prospectors  or  employed  in  connection  with 
the  location  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway,  all  by  different 
routes,  agree  on  having  come  across  areas  of  timber  of  com- 
mercial value  around  the  lakes  and  streams  that  they  found 
on  their  way,  varying  in  size  from  a  few  acres  to  some  as  large 
^  M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  51. 


NATURAL  RESOURCES  139 

as  fifty  square  miles,  aggregating  several  thousand  square 
miles.  It  must  be  noted,  however,  that  for  these  areas  which 
have  been  seen  by  these  prospectors  and  surveyors,  always 
more  or  less  in  the  vicinity  of  the  line  being  traced  for  the 
railway,  immense  areas  on  both  sides  no  doubt  exist  that 
no  one  has  ever  seen  and  which  may  well  be  expected  to  con- 
tain timber  of  as  good  value.  Whatever  meagre  information 
which  may  have  been  obtained  fully  guarantees  the  recom- 
mendation of  a  thorough  examination  of  this  most  important 
resource  in  Manitoba's  new  territory. 

There  is  possibly  no  natural  resource  in  Canada  about  which 
so  inaccurate  data  are  published  as  its  water  powers.  People  are 
in  the  habit  of  talking  about  these,  without  ever  giving  them- 
selves the  trouble  of  fully  studying  out  whether  these  data  are 
based  upon  carefully  ascertained  facts  obtained  in  the  field  or 
not,  with  the  result  that  they  are  easily  misled  about  the  actual 
facts.  It  is  very  important  to  remember  that  to  arrive  at 
the  proper  value  of  a  water  power,  other  interests,  such  as 
municipal  and  domestic  water  supply,  navigation,  agriculture 
and  irrigation,  are  just  as  much  dependent  upon  precipitation, 
which  is  the  primary  source  of  water  powers,  as  the  water 
powers  themselves.  Fair  allowance  for  the  demands  of  the 
other  interests  that  have  just  claims  upon  water  as  a  natural 
source  must,  therefore,  be  made,  from  which  it  will  be  un- 
reasonable to  judge  of  the  exact  value  of  a  water  power 
without  first  discounting  considerably  from  what  it  may  appear 
to  be  worth  at  first  sight.  There  are  rules  for  the  calculation 
of  this  natural  physical  allowance  that  necessarily  reduce 
considerably  the  figures  which  may  be  procured  from  actual 
examination.  All  these  facts  have,  of  course,  been  taken 
into  consideration  by  the  Commission  of  Conservation  of 
Canada,  from  whose  report  most  of  this  information  is  bor- 
rowed, in  the  publication  of  the  data  that  it  has  procured 
on  the  subject,  the  result  of  nearly  two  years'  work  of  investi- 
gation and  compilation. 

With  this  little  preface  well  understood,  it  will  be  interesting 
to  know  that  New  Manitoba  contains  one-third  of  the  whole 
available  water  power  in  the  Dominion.     Not  stopping  to 


140 


THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


mention  numerous  falls  and  rapids  in  the  rivers  which  are 
known  to  exist,  but  about  which  no  reliable  data  have  yet  been 
gathered,  in  fact  limiting  information  to  the  Nelson  River, 
one  who  has  not  given  the  matter  much  attention  is  surprised 
to  find  that  almost  7,000,000  horse-power  has  been  estimated 
as  being  capable  of  development  on  this  wonderful  river  alone, 
which  has  a  draining  area  of  430,000  square  miles.  The 
following  are  the  best  known  of  the  rapids  on  the  Nelson: 


Limestone 
Long  Spruce 
Kettle 
Gull    . 
Birthday     . 
Grand 

Sepewesk  Lake 
Bladder 
Whitemud  . 
Ebb  and  Flow 
Cross  Lake 


Horse-power 

1,140,000 

1,140,000 

1,290,000 

900,000 

320,000 

270,000 

416,000 

147,000 

403,000 

148,000 

605,000 


Nearer  to  the  older  portion  of  the  province,  on  the  Saskatche- 
wan River,  are  to  be  found  the  well-known  Grand  Rapids, 
situated  near  the  mouth  of  the  Saskatchewan  River  on  Lake 
Winnipeg.  Opinions  as  to  the  importance  of  these  rapids 
vary  considerably,  some  placing  them  as  high  as  350,000 
horse-power;  the  figures  supplied  by  the  Commission  of  Con- 
servation are  80,000.  The  stretch  of  the  river  from  Cedar 
Lake  is  seven  miles,  and  the  rapids  extend  over  the  last  two 
miles.  Over  these  rapids  there  flow  the  accumulated  waters 
of  the  two  Saskatchewan  Rivers  and  all  the  other  rivers  to  a 
point  forty  miles  west  of  Banff.  It  is  estimated  by  the  most 
sanguine  that  Grand  Rapids  can  be  made  to  develop  power 
enough  to  operate  all  the  industries  of  the  three  provinces 
of  Manitoba,  Saskatchewan,  and  Alberta. 

As  to  the  millions  of  horse-power  on  the  Nelson  River,  it 
is  possible  that  in  future  years,  after  the  Hudson  Bay 
Railway  is  well  in  operation,  the  motive  power  will  be 
changed  from  steam  to  electricity.  The  eventual  feasibility 
of  this  was  greatly  impressed  upon  the  Hon.  Frank  Cochrane 


NATURAL  RESOURCES  141 

during  his  trip  over  the  hne  last  summer.^  The  power  plant 
would  probably  be  located  at  Whitemud  Falls,  about  half-way 
between  Lake  Winnipeg  and  Hudson  Bay.  By  operating 
the  line  with  electricity,  it  is  estimated  that  not  only  would 
the  cost  be  less,  but  that  the  difficulties  experienced  in  keeping 
up  steam  during  cold  weather  would  also  be  obviated. 

As  Dr.  Orok,  M.P.P.  for  the  Pas,  put  it  in  his  maiden  speech 
in  the  Local  House  last  winter,  there  is  enough  water  power 
in  New  Manitoba  not  only  to  turn  every  wheel  in  the  country, 
from  the  farmer's  grindstone  to  the  city's  street  railway,  but 
also  to  light  every  home,  every  place  of  business,  every  village, 
town  and  city.  Unfortimately,  according  to  trustworthy  tra- 
vellers and  engineers,  very  few,  if  any,  of  the  Nelson  rapids  or 
falls  are  susceptible  of  development,  except  at  immense  cost: 
the  best  and  easiest  water  powers  in  that  region,  those  of  the 
Grass  River,  strangely  enough,  do  not  appear  in  any  of  the 
government  reports. 

The  onty  railway  which,  up  to  the  present,  has  been  enter- 
prising and  foreseeing  enough  to  tap  the  north  country  besides 
the  Hudson  Bay  Railway,  now  under  construction,  is  the 
Canadian  Northern  Railway,  which  has  a  line  running  from 
Hudson  Bay  Junction  on  the  Winnipeg- Prince  Albert  line  to 
the  Pas,  about  90  miles  north-east.  The  Canadian  Pacific 
and  Grand  Trunk  Pacific  Railways  have  both  expressed  their 
intention  of  also  connecting  with  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway, 
the  former  by  buying  out  the  charter  of  the  Alberta  Central, 
which  is  to  go  through  Saskatoon  and  the  Pas,  where  it  is  to 
branch  out  towards  Port  Nelson  and  Fort  Churchill,  the  latter 
by  showing  on  the  large  maps  of  North  America,  which  it 
distributes  to  its  clients,  a  line  from  Canora  to  the  Pas  and 
north  to  Fort  Churchill.  Besides  those  of  these  two  companies, 
a  number  of  charters  have  been  secured,  among  others  the 
Canadian  North- Western,  from  Lethbridge  in  the  west  and 
Winnipeg  in  the  east,  the  High  River-Saskatchewan-Hudson 
Bay,  the  Saskatoon  and  Hudson  Bay,  the  Brandon  Saskatche- 
wan and  Hudson  Bay,  and  the  Canadian  Northern  Railway 
two  more  lines,  one  from  Melfort  and  the  other  from  Prince 

^ 1912. 


142  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Albert.  All  these  lines,  in  the  intention  of  the  promoters,  are 
to  connect  with  the  Hudson  Bay  road  at  the  Pas;  the  Canadian 
Northern  Railway,  Grand  Trunk  Pacific  Railway,  and  Cana- 
dian Pacific  Railway  only  seem  to  have  shown  their  intention 
of  continuing  further  north  after  reaching  that  town.  Other 
Canadian  Northern  Railway  lines  will  also  ultimately  join  the 
government  road  by  using  the  piece  of  line  already  built  by  the 
company  from  Hudson  Bay  Junction  to  the  Pas,  such  as  the 
Craven  branch,  the  Maryfield  branch,  while  the  same  com- 
pany's lines  from  Regina  and  North  Battleford  to  Prince 
Albert,  and  from  Saskatoon  and  Humboldt  to  Melfort,  will 
also  have  connections  with  the  Hudson  Bay  Railroad  over 
the  projected  Prince  Albert-Pas  and  Melfort-Pas  lines.  The 
Saskatchewan  Central  is  the  name  of  a  company  which  has  a 
charter  from  the  International  boundary  near  North  Portal 
to  Yorkton:  no  doubt,  when  it  begins  building  operations 
it  will  find  it  necessary  to  continue  further  north  and  also 
connect  with  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway. 

So  far  the  different  companies  which  already  operate  lines 
in  the  rest  of  the  country  have  been  waiting  to  see  what 
practical  results  will  be  attained  by  the  building  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Railway  before  connecting  their  system  with  the  new  road, 
and  the  main  point  they  have  taken  into  consideration  has 
been  the  practicability  of  navigation  on  the  bay  and  through 
the  strait.  As  the  building  of  the  railway  progresses,  however, 
these  companies  will  find  that,  from  the  point  of  view  of  local 
business  alone,  they  will  be  warranted  in  entering  Manitoba's 
new  territory,  as  it  is  getting  more  evident  every  day  that 
the  natural  resources  are  quite  plentiful  enough  to  necessi- 
tate railway  communications  almost  immediately.  Already 
statistics  are  being  prepared  by  the  Board  of  Trade  of  the 
North  Country's  chief  centre,  the  Pas,  with  a  view  to  draw  the 
attention  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  and  Grand  Trunk 
Pacific  Railway  authorities  to  the  necessity  of  making  arrange- 
ments to  get  their  share  of  the  trade  which  is  sure  to  almost 
immediately  arise  from  the  exploitation  of  local  natural 
resources.  In  the  case  of  the  Grand  Trunk  Pacific,  only  a  short 
line  would  be  required  to  be  built,  as  this  company  is  now  at 


NATURAL  RESOURCES  143 

work  north  of  Canora  towards  Hudson  Bay  Junction,  south 
of  the  Pas.  There  seems  no  reason  why  these  two  companies 
should  not  desire  to  get,  as  soon  as  possible,  a  share  of  the 
business  which  is  now  offering  or  will  soon  offer  in  lumber, 
minerals,  fish,  etc.,  as  well  as  passenger  service  to  and  from 
these  new  districts,  in  which  much  settlement  is  bound  to 
take  place  in  the  very  near  future. 

For  the  development  of  the  many  resources  of  New  Mani- 
toba, it  must  be  remembered  that  there  will  always  be  very 
important  water  routes  besides  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  and 
the  other  railways  which  may  decide  to  build  through  the 
district,  and  these  will,  no  doubt,  always  be  big  factors  in 
the  transportation,  to  the  different  markets  which  will  gradu- 
ally  open  up  along  Canada's  new  transcontinental,  of  the 
products  of  various  kinds  which,  little  by  little,  will  be  offered 
for  sale  by  the  settlers  of  this  new  district.  In  fact,  these 
water  routes  from  time  immemorial  have  been  the  only  ways 
of  communication  used,  first  by  the  Indians  in  going  from 
place  to  place,  later  in  trading  with  the  posts  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Companies  invading  their  territory,  then  by  the  men  in 
the  employ  of  these  firms,  when  it  came  about  that  competi- 
tion forced  them  to  go  after  the  furs  instead  of  waiting  for 
them.  At  the  present  time  they  are  still  the  only  routes 
used  by  these  people  or  by  those  who  are  beginning  to  go 
through  the  country  prospecting,  locating  railways,  or  even 
pleasure  seeking.  In  the  remote  portions  of  the  country, 
owing  to  long  portages  occasioned  by  falls  on  rivers,  or 
stretches  of  land  between  lakes,  the  birch-bark  or  Peter- 
borough canoes  have  been  the  only  crafts  used;  but  on  the 
Saskatchewan  River  and  on  the  lakes  adjoining  and  com- 
municating, much  heavier  boats,  moved  by  steam  or  gasoline, 
have  for  some  time  been  utilised.  The  main  port  for  these 
for  years,  but  principally  since  the  advent  of  the  Canadian 
Northern  Railway  and  Hudson  Bay  Railway,  has  been  the 
Pas:  there  the  Ross  Navigation  Company,  who  have  four 
steamboats  and  a  proportionate  number  of  barges,  have  their 
quarters.  They  have  established  a  regular  service  between 
the  Pas  and  the  neighbouring  points,  going  as  far  west  as 


144  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Cumberland  House  and  as  far  east  as  Grand  Rapids.  At 
high  water  their  boats  are  able  to  navigate  the  Pas  River. 
Other  points  served  by  them  are  Red  Earth  on  the  Carrot 
River,  and  Limestone  Portage  on  Moose  Lake,  the  latter 
point  having  been  extensively  used,  during  the  last  two  years, 
in  connection  with  the  transportation  of  men,  provisions,  and 
material  for  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway.  The  Finger  Lumber 
Company,  Ltd.,  have  also  two  tug  boats  for  the  taking  down 
of  their  rafts  of  logs  from  up  the  Carrot  River,  while  the 
Hudson  Bay  Construction  Company  have  one  for  their  ties  up 
the  Saskatchewan  River.  Besides  these,  there  are  quite  a 
number  of  gasoline  tug  boats  and  launches  of  all  sizes  and  de- 
scriptions. Although  the  Pas  is  the  most  important  river  port 
between  Winnipeg  and  the  Rockies,  so  far  nothing  practical 
has  been  done  toward  the  building  of  proper  boat  accommoda- 
tion, except  an  appropriation  of  $30,000  for  docks  voted  upon 
at  the  last  session  of  the  House  of  Commons. 

As  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  extends  into  the  northland  and 
facihtates  the  transportation  of  heavy  material,  it  may  be 
expected  that  important  river  and  lake  traf&c  will  be  estab- 
Hshed  on  several  of  the  streams  and  lakes,  on  which  the  canoe 
is  at  present  the  only  sort  of  craft  seen. 

Apart  from  the  main  natural  resources  which  have  just 
been  briefly  enumerated  and  defined,  there  are  a  number  of 
other  natural  features,  which  though  perhaps  less  important 
are  none  the  less  as  attractive  to  a  certain  class  of  people; 
such  are  the  beauty  spots  of  this  immense  territory  where 
thousands  of  streams  and  lakes,  surrounded  with  evergreen 
forests,  stretch  on  all  sides  for  miles.  It  has  been  truly  said 
that  New  Manitoba  will  soon  share  with  New  Ontario  the 
advantage  of  attracting,  in  the  summer  time,  the  lovers  of 
grandiose  scenery  and  the  pleasures  that  nature  affords.  The 
hunter,  the  angler,  the  canoeist,  will  find  in  this  northern 
country  innumerable  opportunities  of  enjoying  themselves 
in  the  practice  of  their  favourite  sports.  Lakes  and  rivers, 
with  water  as  pure  and  as  clear,  and  with  sandy  shores  as 
pretty  as  those  of  Clearwater  Lake,  abound:  these  are  replete 
with  fish  of  all  sizes,  while  the  forests,  the  plains,  the  marshes. 


NATURAL  RESOURCES  145 

are  full  of  game  of  aU  kinds  from  duck  to  pelican,  whisky 
jack  to  ptarmigan,  rabbit  to  moose,  or  musk  ox  if  one  is  pre- 
pared to  go  far  enough.  The  climate  in  summer  is  ideal, 
there  being  none  of  those  hot  nights  which  further  south 
prevent  people  from  enjoying  their  rest  as  they  should;  this, 
no  doubt,  is  due  to  the  myriads  of  rivers  and  lakes  which 
keep  the  atmosphere  in  a  relatively  constant  state  of  coolness. 
It  would  be  a  mistake,  however,  to  imagine  that  the  climate 
of  New  Manitoba  attains  at  any  time  any  disagreeable  ex- 
tremes. In  winter,  while  the  thermometer  may  at  times  go 
down  a  few  degrees  lower  than  in  the  older  parts  of  the  pro- 
vince, the  lack  of  wind,  due  to  the  surrounding  forests,  renders 
the  temperature  perfectly  bearable;  many  are  the  houses  at 
the  Pas  which  never  use  storm  doors  or  windows.  In  the 
summer  the  very  hot  waves  so  common  to  the  prairie  are  un- 
known; the  days  are  bright  and  long,  there  being  practically 
no  night  at  the  summer  solstice.  While  the  rainfall  is  suffi- 
ciently abundant,  hail  and  thunder  storms  are  not  of  common 
occurrence. 

After  having  portrayed  as  accurately  as  possible  the  main 
features  of  New  Manitoba,  it  would  not  do  to  say  that  there 
are  none  of  an  unpleasant  nature :  where  is  the  country  which 
has  not  its  quota  of  bad  points  to  contrast  with  its  good  ones  ? 
Whatever  these  may  be  in  the  case  of  New  Manitoba,  there 
can  be  no  doubt  that  there  are  enough  serious  advantages 
to  warrant  the  statement  that  the  province  in  the  boundary 
settlement  has  acquired  an  immense  stretch  of  territory  which, 
some  day  in  the  near  future,  will  prove  to  be  a  gold  mine  for 
the  people  of  divers  aptitudes  who  will  little  by  little  choose 
it  as  their  future  home.^ 

*  Dr.  William  Sinclair  of  the  Pas,  who  made  a  canoe  trip  to  and  from 
Port  Nelson  in  the  late  summer  and  early  fall  of  1914,  on  his  return 
gave  a  short  account  of  his  impressions  on  the  subject  of  this  chapter 
in  an  interview  with  the  Telegram  of  Winnipeg,  which  will  be  found 
in  extenso  at  the  end  of  this  book  under  head  of  Appendix  G.  Read 
also  the  summary  of  that  part  of  Major  Chambers'  book,  The  Unexploited 
West,  dealing  with  the  natural  resources  of  Northern  Manitoba,  given 
in  Appendix  I. 


146  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE   SASKATCHEWAN   RIVER 

At  Winnipeg,  on  July  12,  1910,  the  Honourable  Mr.  Pugsley, 
Minister  of  Public  Works  in  the  Federal  Government,  who 
was  accompanying  Sir  Wilfrid  Laurier  in  his  western  tour, 
was  the  first  pubUc  man  to  refer  to  an  important  though 
purely  western  transportation  problem  intimately  connected 
with  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway.  He  said:  "Nature  has 
provided  right  at  your  doors  a  great  river  running  down  into 
Lake  Winnipeg,  a  lake  that  is  greater  than  Lake  Ontario. 
The  River  Saskatchewan  rises  some  1300  miles  to  the  west- 
ward, in  the  foothills  of  the  Rockies.  I  am  one  of  those  who 
believe  that  with  a  reasonable  expenditure  of  money,  it  will 
be  possible  to  create  a  great  system  of  inland  navigation 
extending  from  the  city  of  Edmonton  and  beyond,  right 
down  for  1300  miles  to  this  great  city."  ^ 

Two  days  later,  at  the  opening  of  the  St  Andrews  locks, 
on  the  Red  River,  connecting  Winnipeg  with  the  lake.  Sir 
Wilfrid  had  the  following  to  say  on  the  subject:  "  We  have 
opened  the  Red  River  up  to  Lake  Winnipeg  and  it  now  re- 
mains for  my  friend  Dr.  Pugsley  to  open  the  Saskatchewan 
River  from  Edmonton  to  Winnipeg.  I  am  glad  to  say  that 
my  friend,  the  Minister  of  Public  Works,  is  already  at  this 
work.  He  has  engineers  in  the  field  surveying  the  Saskatche- 
wan River,  and  before  many  years  are  over  I  hold  that  we 
shall  witness  such  a  thing  as  has  been  witnessed  to-day — that 
is  to  say,  the  opening  to  navigation  of  the  Saskatchewan 
River  up  to  the  city  of  Winnipeg;  and  if  God  spares  me,  and 

1  Castell  Hopkins,  op.  cit.  1910,  p.  265. 

"  I  have  the  greatest  possible  confidence  that  in  the  immediate 
future  a  great  trafl&c  will  be  developed  on  the  Saskatchewan  River 
between  Edmonton  and  the  Pa^,  on  the  line  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway 
leading  to  the  Nelson  River." — Hon.  Robert  Rogers,  Minister  of  Public 
Works,  at  Edmonton,  September  1913^. 


7.   c'? 


'^'Kr'^ 


QJ     OJ 


THE  SASKATCHEWAN  RIVER  147 

if  the  Grace  of  God  and  the  will  of  the  people  keep  me  where 
I  am,  I  am  sure  that  I  shall  see  the  day  when  a  barge  laden 
with  coal  at  Edmonton,  nay,  at  the  very  foot  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  will  be  unloaded  at  Winnipeg  without  breaking 
bulk  on  the  way."  ^ 

These  two  utterances  were  no  doubt  in  answer  to  the 
resolution  passed  by  the  Associated  Boards  of  Trade  of 
Western  Canada,  a  month  earlier,  "  urging  the  improvement 
of  navigation  of  the  Saskatchewan  River." 

In  1895  Mr.  John  Ross,  who  built  the  north  shore  line  of 
the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway,  had  written:  "When  the 
population  of  these  territories  comes  to  be  counted  by  millions 
and  tens  of  millions,  as  in  course  of  time  it  will  be,  all  the  rail- 
roads likely  to  be  built  would  not  suffice  to  carry  their  surplus 
productions  to  the  ocean,  at  least  at  such  rates  as  would  be 
satisfactory  to  agricultural  communities.  But  through  these 
wide  regions  Nature  has  provided  a  highway  for  cheap  trans- 
portation, which  can,  at  an  outlay  which  the  government 
might  well  bear,  be  rendered  available." 

With  the  advent  of  the  railway,  and  the  settling  of  the 
southern  portions  of  the  western  provinces,  what  had  been 
the  principal  highway  of  the  traders  and  explorers  since 
Lav6rendrye's  sons  had  discovered  it  in  1741,  the  River 
Saskatchewan,  had  been  more  or  less  forgotten.  Only  the 
Indians  with  their  birch-bark  canoes  and  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  with  its  York  boats,  steam  vessels,  and  barges  had 
continued  to  navigate  its  waters,  from  Edmonton  on  the 
North  Branch  and  Medicine  Hat  on  the  South  Branch  to  Grand 
Rapids  on  Lake  Winnipeg.  As  soon  as  the  Hudson  Bay 
Railway  became  a  possibility  of  the  near  future,  it  appeared 
evident  that  this  immense  waterway  of  the  old  trading  days 
should  again  be  utilised,  this  time  in  transporting  the  grain 
of  the  western  plains  to  the  Pas,  the  south  terminus  of  the  new 
projected  railway. 

The  Peace  River  country  was  just  commencing  to  attract  the 
attention  of  the  settler,  offering  the  same  advantages  for 
colonisation  that  Manitoba  and  the  south  portions  of  Sas- 
*  Castell  Hopkins,  op.  cit.  19 lo,  p.  266. 


148  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

katchewan  and  Alberta  had  offered  since  the  opening  of  the 
country  by  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway.  On  account  of 
the  remoteness  of  the  district  from  the  eastern  markets 
and  the  consequent  high  cost  of  transportation,  it  seemed 
reasonable  to  expect  that  the  settler  would  be  encouraged 
in  the  task  of  opening  these  last  immense  plains  by  an  effort 
to  give  him  a  means  of  transportation  with  the  help  of  which 
he  could  compete  successfully  against  the  excessive  charges 
which  would  necessarily  be  made  by  the  railways  entering  the 
new  territory. 

As  early  as  1858  the  government  of  Canada,  which  was 
already  looking  with  envy  at  the  North-West  Territory  of 
those  days  over  which  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  held  sway, 
had  sent  an  expedition  to,  among  other  objects,  survey  the 
River  Saskatchewan  with  a  view  to  study  its  navigability. 
Dr.  Henry  Youle  Hind,  M.A.,  professor  of  chemistry  and 
geology  in  the  University  of  Trinity  College,  Toronto,  had 
been  placed  in  charge.  His  report,  published  the  following 
year,  is  one  of  the  most  extensive  works  on  the  subject,  and, 
to  this  day,  remains  an  authoritative  record.  The  explora- 
tion, however,  did  not  extend  to  the  North  Branch  of  the  river, 
which,  from  all  precedent  reports  handed  down  from  the  days 
of  Henry  and  Thompson,  had  proved,  beyond  doubt,  to  be 
the  more  navigable  of  the  two  branches. 

Hind  thus  describes  the  South  Branch  and  the  main  river : 
"  The  south  branch  of  the  Saskatchewan  is  a  noble  river, 
varying  in  width  from  half  a  mile  to  three  hundred  yards, 
for  a  distance  of  100  miles  from  the  Elbow;  it  then  gradually 
contracts  its  channel  and  changes  its  character  from  a  river 
full  of  sand-bars  and  mud-flats,  pursuing  a  comparatively 
straight  course,  to  a  rapid  and  uniform  torrent  of  water, 
sweeping  down  the  narrow  but  deep  valley  it  has  excavated, 
irom  one  bank  to  the  other  in  magnificent  curves,  until  it  joins 
the  North  Branch.  .  .  .  The  main  Saskatchewan  is  a  river  of 
very  imposing  magnitude.  Like  the  South  Branch,  it  occupies 
a  narrow,  deep  valley,  varying  in  width  from  i|  to  3  miles, 
extending  a  few  mOes  below  the  Nepoween  Mission.  It  flows 
in  grand  curves  from  side  to  side,  and  its  general  level  is  about 


THE  SASKATCHEWAN  RIVER  149 

300  feet  below  the  country  through  which  it  has  excavated 
its  channel,  after  which  it  enters  the  low  region." 

"  About  158  miles  below  Fort  a  la  Corne,  near  Tearing 
River,  the  main  Saskatchewan  is  330  yards  broad,  92  feet 
deep  in  the  channel,  has  a  mean  sectional  depth  of  20  feet, 
and  flows  at  the  rate  of  2  miles  an  hour.  291  miles  below 
the  Grand  Forks  the  main  Saskatchewan  enters  Cedar  Lake, 
30  miles  long.  Issuing  from  this  large  body  of  water,  it 
expands  into  a  small  lake,  but  soon  again  contracting  its 
channel,  the  Cross  Lake  Rapids  come  into  view;  these  rapids 
have  a  fall  of  5|  feet.  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  boats  of 
4  or  5  tons  are  tracked  up  them  with  half  cargo,  but  loaded 
boats  descending  run  the  rapids.  The  length  of  the  portage 
involved  in  ascending  the  river  is  230  yards.  The  Saskatche- 
wan now  enters  Cross  Lake,  and  after  issuing  from  this  elon- 
gated expanse  of  water,  begins  a  rapid  course  to  Lake  Winnipeg, 
with  a  current  often  3  and  sometimes  3^  miles  an  hour.  The 
head  of  the  Grand  Rapids  is  about  4  miles  from  the  mouth 
of  the  river.  The  length  of  the  portage  is  r  mile  7  chains. 
The  rapids  below  the  portage  are  about  i|  miles  long,  so  that 
the  total  length  of  the  Grand  Rapids  exceeds  2|  miles.  The 
fall  from  the  west  to  the  east  end  of  the  portage,  as  ascertained 
by  levelling,  is  28^  feet.  The  fall  below  the  portage  is 
estimated  to  be  15  feet,  consequently  the  total  fall  is  about 
43  feet."  ^ 

In  the  course  of  his  report,  the  author,  in  connection  with 
the  discoveries  of  gold  in  British  Columbia,  shows  how,  until 
the  construction  of  a  railway,  the  great  Saskatchewan  River 
seems  to  be  the  natural  highway  between  the  valley  of  the 
Mississippi  on  one  hand,  and  the  St.  Lawrence  Valley  by  way 
of  Lake  Superior  on  the  other,  with  the  province  on  the  Pacific 
slope  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Already  parties  of  American 
emigrants  coming  from  St.  Paul  had  been  met,  which  were 
proceeding  to  Frazer's  River  via  the  North  Branch,  instead  of 
by  the  Missouri  route,  which  was  considered  more  hazardous. 
A  company,  calling  itself  the  Canadian  North- West  Trans- 
portation Company,  was  proposing  to  put  in  a  Une  of  steam- 
^  Hind,  op.  cit.  pp.  9  and  29. 


ISO  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

boats  between  the  Red  River  as  far  as  St.  Paul  and  the  North 
Saskatchewan,  with  a  possible  connection  with  Lake  Superior 
by  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  "  In  these  projects,  so  rapidly 
approaching  completion,  the  North  Branch  of  the  Saskatche- 
wan is  the  route  to  be  followed  to  British  Columbia.  In  a 
word,  public  attention  seems  to  be  almost  exclusively  directed 
to  Lake  Winnipeg  and  the  North  Branch."  ^ 

As  to  the  South  Branch,  the  diversion  of  its  waters  down 
the  Qu'Appelle  Valley  would  make  a  communication  for 
steamers  possible  from  Fort  Garry  to  near  the  foot  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  by  way  of  the  Assiniboine  River:  for  this, 
a  dam  85  feet  high  and  600  to  800  yards  long  across  the  South 
Branch,  below  the  point  of  its  junction  with  the  Qu'Appelle 
River,  should  be  sufficient.  The  settlements  on  the  Red 
River  would  easily  be  protected  from  any  possible  resulting 
flood  by  means  of  a  shallow  cut  through  the  gentle  rise  separat- 
ing the  Assiniboine  from  the  Rat  Rivulet,  which  would  permit 
the  excess  waters  to  flow  into  Lake  Manitoba. 

While  the  project  of  the  South  Branch  via  the  Assiniboine 
and  Qu'Appelle  Rivers  has  since  been  abandoned,  the  other 
has  been  mentioned  from  time  to  time,  principally  during  the 
last  few  years.  The  main  difficulties  are  the  Grand  Rapids, 
at  the  point  where  the  main  river  flows  into  Lake  Winnipeg, 
and  where  a  canal  with  locks  has  to  be  built,  and  the  Coal 
Falls  on  the  North  Branch,  just  above  the  Grand  Forks, 
where  18  miles  of  rapids  obstructed  by  boulders,  many  of 
which  are  exposed  during  low  summer  levels,  create  serious 
engineering  problems.  These,  however,  may  be  in  part  solved 
after  the  construction  of  the  big  power  dam  being  presently 
erected  by  the  city  of  Prince  Albert  at  that  point. 

Under  the  direct  supervision  of  Mr.  L.  R.  Voligny,  District 
Engineer  of  the  Department  of  Public  Works,  a  survey  of  the 
Saskatchewan  River  from  Prince  Albert  to  the  Pas  was  made 
in  1910  and  191 1,  disclosing  the  fact  that  between  these  two 
points,  about  300  miles,  a  channel  for  boats  drawing  6  feet 
of  water  could  be  provided  at  the  comparatively  low  cost  of 
$1,500,000.  In  IQ12  the  same  work  was  continued  between 
1  Hind,  op.  cit.  p.  23. 


THE  SASKATCHEWAN  RIVER  151 

Edmonton  and  Prince  Albert,  and  in  1913  the  work  done 
in  the  three  preceding  years  was  reviewed,  extending, 
however,  beyond  the  Pas  to  Grand  Rapids.  Mr.  VoHgny's 
confidence  in  the  feasibility  of  the  project  is  well  known. 
It  embraces  both  branches,  although  the  North  Branch  has 
been  the  only  one  to  receive  any  attention  so  far,  presumably 
because  the  cities  and  smaller  places  along  the  South  Branch 
have  not  yet  thought  it  advisable  to  ask  for  a  survey  of  the 
latter.  In  the  meantime,  the  different  bridges  which  span 
the  South  Saskatchewan  at  different  points  are  built  with 
the  end  of  navigation  in  view.  The  time  set  for  the  whole 
work  from  Edmonton  to  the  Pas  is  five  years. 

The  importance  of  the  navigation  of  the  two  Saskatchewans 
in  connection  with  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  will  be  readily 
seen.  Water  routes  being  recognised  to  be  so  much  cheaper 
than  railways,  barges  laden  with  wheat  may  be  floated  down 
these  two  rivers,  at  an  immense  saving,  to  the  Pas,  there  to 
be  unloaded  into  the  Hudson  Bay  trains  for  the  last  424 
miles  of  the  inland  route. 

The  immense  possibilities  of  the  project  have  made  a  writer, 
in  one  of  the  numbers  of  the  Canadian  Magazine,  in  1911,  ex- 
claim with  considerable  appropriateness  and  foresight:  "  The 
future  of  the  Saskatchewan  is  assured.  To-day  the  Peace  River 
country  is  on  the  eve  of  its  development;  to-morrow,  as  a 
new  province,  it  will  be  sending  its  wheat  to  European  markets 
by  the  cheapest  and  shortest  route.  And  what  is  that  route  ? 
Beyond  all  doubt,  it  is  by  way  of  the  Saskatchewan  River  and 
Hudson's  Bay.  The  expenditure  of  a  few  million  dollars 
would  make  the  river  safely  navigable  as  far  as  the  Pas, 
where  waiting  trains  would  whisk  the  golden  grain  to  the 
hold  of  transatlantic  steamships.  This  is  not  a  dream,  but 
a  prophecy.  Railways  may  scoff,  but  the  fact  must  soon 
be  faced;   the  Saskatchewan  is  again  coming  into  its  own."  ^ 

In  the  expectation  of  the  traffic  which  should  take  place 
in  this  connection  at  the  Pas,  the  Federal  Government  is 
now  spending  several  thousand  dollars  in  dredge  work  and 
on  a  wharf.     What  has  been  to  this  date  the  most  important 

^  The  Navigation  on  the  Saskatchewan,  by  W.  Everard  Edmonds. 


152  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

inland  port  between  Winnipeg  and  the  Rockies  thus  sees 
another  impetus  given  to  its  already  advantageous  geo- 
graphical position. 

With  time  and  the  spending  of  several  more  milhon  dollars 
it  may  be  reasonably  expected  that  the  navigation  of  the 
Saskatchewan  River,  in  relation  to  the  Hudson  Bay  route, 
shall  not  stop  at  the  Pas,  but  that  it  shall  be  continued  past 
the  Grand  Rapids  northward  on  Lake  Winnipeg  to  Norway 
House  and  down  the  Nelson  River,  provided  with  a  system 
of  canals  around  its  numerous  rapids  on  the  200  odd  miles 
where  it  is  not  now  navigable,  on  to  Port  Nelson.  The 
dream  of  Sir  Wilfrid  Laurier,  in  which  he  saw  an  immense 
waterway  from  the  foot  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  Winnipeg, 
forsooth  to  Quebec  via  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  and  the  Great 
Lakes,  will  then  not  only  be  realised  but  exceeded  to  the 
extent  of  making  several  western  cities  seaports  in  minia- 
ture, in  which  the  products  of  the  farms  may  be  loaded  in 
barges  which  will  only  be  transhipped  to  the  transatlantic 
vessels  at  the  terminals  of  the  Hudson  Bay  route.  Imagina- 
tion may  even  go  one  better  and  picture  to  itself  the  ironclad 
monsters  steaming  along  the  different  rivers  of  the  Nelson 
basin,  far  inland,  for  or  with  their  cargoes.  In  the  mean- 
time, on  March  5,  1912,  an  organisation  called  the  "  Red 
River  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Navigation  Association,"  with 
Mr.  R.  D.  Waugh,  then  Mayor  of  Winnipeg,  as  president,  was 
formed  at  Grand  Forks,  in  North  Dakota,  for  the  purpose  of 
advocating  the  creation  of  an  all-water  route  to  Hudson  Bay : 
which  may  serve  to  demonstrate  that  the  scheme  is  not  all 
dream  for  some  enthusiastic  westerners.^ 

1  It  may  be  safely  said,  however,  that  many  generations  wiU  pass 
before  the  immense  difficulties  along  the  Nelson  River  will  be  sur- 
mounted. Indeed,  what  is  required,  except  possibly  for  the  60  miles 
between  Cross  Lake  and  Manitou  Rapids,  is  a  continuous  canal.  Even 
that  will  be  found  hardly  sufficient  on  account  of  the  rapid  drop  towards 
Hudson  Bay.  As  an  example,  it  may  be  stated  that  reliable  engineers 
in  the  employ  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  have  figured  on  the  necessity 
of  providing  no  less  than  twenty-seven  locks  to  go  through  Gull  Lake 
alone,  a  mere  expanse  of  the  Nelson  River.  As  one  of  them  puts  it :  "A 
season  would  not  be  sufficient  to  carry  a  boat  from  Port  Nelson  to 
Lake  Winnipeg."     Of  course,  it  is  difficult  to  picture  to  one's  mind 


THE  SASKATCHEWAN  RIVER  153 

"  With  the  advent  of  the  iron  horse  the  west  went  railroad 
mad,"  some  one  has  said  very  pointedly.  This  madness  will 
pass  away  and  the  rivers  will  again  have  their  days  of  useful- 
ness as  the  most  natural  highways  of  commerce. 

the  millions  which  would  have  to  be  spent  to  build  this  gigantic  canal 
from  lake  to  bay.  The  possibility  of  a  continuous  navigation  from 
Port  Nelson  seems  to  be  wholly  of  the  domain  of  conjecture  and  utopia. 


154  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

CHAPTER  XVI 

EXTENSION   OF  MANITOBA'S   BOUNDARIES 

"  It  is  more  than  thirty  years  since  I  made  my  first  speech 
claiming  extended  boundaries  and  equahty  in  regard  to  our 
financial  relations  with  the  Dominion."  So  spoke  Premier 
Roblin  on  February  29,  191 2,  on  learning  that  the  agreement 
arrived  at  between  Premier  Borden  on  the  one  hand  and 
himself  with  the  Honourable  C.  H.  Campbell  on  the  other, 
the  previous  fall,  had  at  last  been  practically  ratified  by  the 
House  of  Commons. 

The  victory  of  Manitoba  in  this  connection  was  the  pro- 
vincial event  of  the  year.  Manitoba,  since  its  formation  in 
1870,  had  been  curbed  in  her  eastern  and  western  expansions 
by  the  claims  of  Ontario,  the  requirements  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  the  evolution  of  Saskatchewan  and  Alberta, 
and  the  development  of  Dominion-wide  educational  and 
political  problems.  With  its  73,732  square  miles  it  had  long 
remained  the  "  postage  stamp  "  province.  Apparently  on 
account  of  political  differences,  no  agreement  could  be  arrived 
at  with  the  government  of  Sir  Wilfrid  Laurier;  when  Mr. 
Borden  became  Premier  in  1911,  it  was  evident  aU  difficulties 
would  be  levelled :  Manitoba  would  have  a  part  of  Keewatin 
with  at  least  one  port,  possibly  two,  on  Hudson  Bay. 

At  the  end  of  January,  conferences  were  held  in  Ottawa 
between  the  Federal  Cabinet  and  Premier  Roblin  assisted  by 
Honourable  C.  H.  Campbell.  The  following  agreement  was 
struck : 

SUBSIDIES.  ETC.,  FOR  YEAR  ENDING  JULY  i,   1912 

Allowance  for  government   and   local   purposes,    B.N. A.  $ 

Act,  1907  ........  190,000.00 

Eighty  cents  per  head  per  annum  on  455,614  population 

as  ascertained  by  the  census  of  June  191 1    .  .  .  364,491.20 

Indemnity  for  want  of  public  lands  (cap.  50,  Acts  of  1885)  100,000.00 

Interest  at  5  per  cent,  on  capital  allowance  in  lieu  of  debt  178,947.66 

Total         ....  $833,438.86 


MANITOBA'S  BOUNDARIES  155 

Allowance   for  government    and    local    purposes,   B.N. A.  $ 

Act,  1907  ........     190,000.00 

Eighty  cents  per  head  on  455,614  population  as  per  the 

census  of  June  191 1,  B.N. A.  Act,  1907,  sec.  i        .  .     364,491.20 

Indemnity  for  want  of  public  lands         .     $562,500.00 
Swamp  lands  deduction,  about  $134,230.00 
University  lands  deduction    .       15,000.00 

149,230.00 

Interest   at    5    per    cent,   on  413,270.00 

$8,107,500        .  .  .  405,375.00 

Less  interest  at  5  per  cent,  on 

$475,816.15       .  .  .  23,790.81 

381,584.19 


Total $1,349,345-39 

While  the  Manitoba  ministers  insisted  on  recognition  of 
the  allowances  dating  from  1905,  being  the  year  in  which 
the  provinces  of  Saskatchewan  and  Alberta  had  been  formed, 
the  Ottawa  authorities  refused  to  acknowledge  them  except  as 
from  July  1908,  the  date  on  which  the  Parliament  of  Canada 
had  assented  to  the  extension  of  the  province's  boundaries. 
The  arrearages  payable  to  Manitoba  on  that  account  were 
as  follows: 

$ 

(a)  Annual  allowance  in  lieu  of  debt  under  Bill        .  .     381,584.19 
Annual  allowance  already  received  ....     178,947.06 

Arrearages  each  year       ......     202,637.13 

Arrearages  for  four  years,  July  i,  1908,  to  June  30, 

1912.  ........     810,648.52 

(b)  Annual  allowance  in  lieu  of  lands  under  Bill      .  .     562,500.00 
Swamp  lands  deduction,  average,  say         $105,500.00 
University  lands  deduction      .          .          .      15,000.00 

Already  received    .....   100,000.00 


220,500.00 

Deducting  that  sum  of  $220,500  from  the  proposed  annual 
allowance  in  lieu  of  lands  under  this  resolution,  namely, 
$562,500,  the  difference  is  found  to  be  $342,000.  The 
estimated  arrearage  each  year  will,  therefore,  be  $342,000, 
or  for  four  years  the  sum  of  $1,368,000.  Adding  that  to  the 
sum  of  $810,648,  above  mentioned,  we  have  the  estimated 
total  arrearages  of  $2,178,648. 

Swamp  lands  to  be  reconveyed  to  the  Dominion  totalled 
8,232,831  acres. 


156  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Sir  Wilfrid  Laurier  and  Honourable  W.  Pugsley  both 
objected  to  the  arrangement  as  being  unfair  to  the  older 
provinces.  Mr.  Borden  showed  that  the  arrangement 
was  a  fair,  equal  treatment:  Manitoba  would  thus  receive 
$1,349,345,  Alberta  $1,260,105,  and  Saskatchewan  $1,551,280. 
Subsequent  to  the  passing  of  the  resolution,  Premier  Borden 
stated  that  the  area  of  Manitoba  would  change  from  73,732 
square  miles  to  251,832  square  miles. 

Premier  Roblin,  in  expressing  his  satisfaction  at  the  arrange- 
ment, outlined  what  uses  his  government  would  make  of  the 
$2,178,648  grant:  a  new  agricultural  college  would  be  built, 
technical  and  industrial  education  would  receive  special 
attention,  a  good  roads  policy  would  be  inaugurated,  the 
new  territory  would  receive  considerable  financial  help. 

The  Liberal  element  of  the  province  complained  bitterly  of 
two  aspects  of  the  agreement  reached :  the  five -mile- wide  strip 
through  New  Manitoba  given  to  Ontario  in  order  to  connect 
that  province  with  Port  Nelson,  and  the  reconveying  of  the 
natural  resources  to  the  Dominion. 

Shortly  after  the  Bill  had  become  law  in  the  Dominion 
House,  Premier  Roblin  presented  an  Act  in  the  Legislature 
of  Manitoba,  March  28,  to  corroborate  it.  The  total  amount 
to  be  received  from  Ottawa,  including  arrearages,  stood  at 
$2,896,387. 

Mr.  Norris,  Opposition  leader,  congratulated  the  premier 
on  the  cash  bonus  secured,  but  pointed  out  that  if  the  province 
had  retained  her  natural  resources,  the  interest  on  the  value 
of  the  swamp  lands  alone,  as  offered  by  Sir  Wilfrid  Laurier, 
would  have  represented  a  better  revenue,  with  the  $200,000 
annual  grant  for  the  added  territory,  than  had  been  secured 
under  the  present  arrangements.  The  Bill  passed,  however, 
without  division,  on  April  i,  and  on  May  20  a  cheque  for 
$2,178,648  was  received  from  Ottawa. 

Arrangements  were  also  made  for  a  continuance  of  Mounted 
Police  duty  in  the  new  territory,  with  the  province  paying  a 
share  of  the  expense. 

At  Ottawa,  however,  the  settlement  of  the  Manitoba 
boundary   question   had   not    gone   through   the    House   of 


MANITOBA'S  BOUNDARIES  157 

Commons  and  the  Senate  without  considerable  debate  on 
the  school  question  in  its  relation  to  the  new  territory.  It 
was  alleged  that  under  the  North- West  Territories  Act  of  1875 
separate  schools  were  permitted  in  Keewatin,  and  that  there- 
fore the  existing  Roman  Catholic  school  established  by  Bishop 
Charlebois  at  the  Pas  should  be  considered  as  a  precedent  in 
the  safeguarding  of  the  minority's  rights  in  New  Manitoba. 
The  Quebec  supporters  of  the  government  were  unanimous 
in  demanding  that  such  a  clause  should  be  inserted  in  the 
Bill  before  the  House.  The  Nationalists,  by  speech  and  in 
the  press,  worked  strenuously  to  force  the  government's 
hand.  On  February  23,  however,  the  resolutions  presented 
by  Premier  Borden  contained  nothing  in  reference  to  educa- 
tion :  nor  did  the  amendment  of  the  leader  of  the  Opposition 
mention  the  question.  The  amendment  was  rejected  by 
103  to  65. 

It  was  only  after  the  vote  had  so  been  taken  on  the  second 
reading  that  P.  E.  Lamarche  of  Nicolet  dealt  with  the  matter, 
stating  that  "  it  would  not  be  a  policy  of  coercion  but  rather 
a  policy  of  conciliation  to  insert  in  the  Bill  a  saving  clause  for 
the  rights  of  the  minorities  in  the  new  district  to  be  annexed." 
Mr.  Monk,  who  followed,  contended  that  inasmuch  as  the 
petitions  of  the  Roman  Catholics  of  the  Pas  for  schools  in 
1909  had  not  been  granted  by  the  late  government,  by  reason 
of  lack  of  ordinances  to  that  effect  applicable  to  the  territory, 
there  were  no  legal  rights  whatever  to  safeguard:  "As  a 
matter  of  pure  policy  to  say  we  will  place  that  condition  upon 
any  transfer  of  territory  would  be  absolutely  contrary  to 
the  best  interests  of  the  minority  in  that  province." 

Honourable  L.  P.  Pelletier,  who  followed,  believed  Premier 
Roblin  would  yet  do  justice  to  the  Catholics  of  Manitoba. 
Honourable  R.  Lemieux,  for  the  Opposition,  described  Kee- 
watin as  being  under  the  revised  statutes  of  Canada  since 
January  31,  1907.  Section  10  of  these  statutes  provided  that 
certain  things  could  be  done  in  an  educational  connection  by 
the  Commissioner-in-Council,  if  and  when  a  territorial  council 
was  appointed  and  authorised  to  make  ordinances ;  neither  of 
these  conditions  had  yet  been  carried  out,  so  that  there  could 


158  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

be  no  separate  schools,  by  law,  in  existence.  He  expressed 
the  opinion  that  Manitoba  would  not  accept  the  extension  of 
her  boundaries  coupled  with  any  restriction  as  to  education: 
besides,  it  was  not  constitutionally  possible,  and  it  was  cer- 
tainly politically  impracticable.  The  second  reading  passed 
by  114  to  76  without  any  reference  to  separate  schools,  the 
new  territory  thus  passing  automatically  under  the  laws  of 
Manitoba. 

In  committee  the  discussion  continued.  A.  A.  Mondou 
of  Yamaska  moved  that  "  nothing  in  the  present  Act  shall 
affect  prejudicially  the  school  rights  of  the  minority,  Roman 
Catholic  or  Protestant,  which  inhabit  the  territory  now 
annexed  to  Manitoba."     It  was  negatived  on  division. 

On  the  third  reading  of  the  Bill,  March  12,  the  Honour- 
able J.  C.  Dohert}',  Minister  of  Justice,  spoke  and  defined 
the  issue  as  follows:  "The  question  that  does  arise,  which 
has  been  the  source  of  a  very  great  deal  of  strong  feeling  and 
which  has  given  to  man}'  of  us  who  have  a  sense  of  responsi- 
bility much  matter  of  careful  thought,  is  the  question  whether 
in  this  territory  that  is  going  to  be  annexed  to  Manitoba  there 
are  existing  rights  established  by  law  and  which  would  require 
for  their  protection  the  inclusion  of  some  special  provision 
in  this  legislation."  He  answered  the  question  in  the  negativ^e 
and  with  a  clear,  concise  summary  of  the  whole  matter. 
Mr.  Mondou  moved  again  the  amendment  which  he  had 
presented  in  committee,  though  with  some  changes:  "  Nothing 
in  any  such  law  shall  prejudicially  affect  any  right  or  pri\dlege 
with  respect  to  denominational  or  separate  schools,  which 
any  class  of  persons  have,  at  the  date  of  the  passing  of  this 
Act,  by  law  or  practice,  in  the  territory'  added  to  the  province 
under  the  provisions  of  this  Act." 

Sir  Wilfrid  Laurier,  who  then  spoke  for  the  first  time  since 
the  commencement  of  the  debate,  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that 
unless  Manitoba  agreed  to  the  law  of  1875,  parliament  had 
no  authority  to  force  it  upon  her;  that  it  was  a  matter  of 
conciliation.  Mr.  Mondou's  motion  was  defeated  with  160 
against  and  24  for.  Another  amendment,  moved  by  Dr. 
Beland,  asking  for  amicable  negotiations  with  the  Manitoba 


MANITOBA'S  BOUNDARIES  159 

Government  to  define  the  status  of  minorities,  was  also  defeated 
by  108  to  52.  The  Bill  was  then  read  a  third  time.  It 
passed  the  Senate  with  hardly  any  discussion,  in  spite  of  the 
many  petitions  presented  to  this  honourable  body  by  the 
minority  of  Keewatin  and  its  friends  in  Quebec,  where  Henri 
Bourassa,  Armand  Lavergne,  and  C.  H.  Cahan  addressed 
meetings  and  adopted  resolutions,  urging  the  government  to 
recognise  the  rights  of  the  Catholics  in  the  territory  to  be 
annexed  to  Manitoba. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Orange  factor  was  not  inactive: 
it  availed  itself  of  every  opportunity  to  denounce  "  all  forms 
of  sectarian  education  in  any  part  of  the  province,"  and  after 
the  third  reading  of  the  Bill,  approved  the  Dominion  Govern- 
ment's action.  At  the  53rd  annual  meeting  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Ontario  East,  Kingston,  on  March  20,  Colonel  John 
Hughes,  Grand  Master,  made  this  statement:  "  The  French- 
Canadian  bishops  and  their  emissaries  wished  for  a  separate 
school  clause  for  the  territory  included  in  the  Bill,  and  brought 
all  the  pressure  they  could  possibly  do  upon  the  members  of 
the  house  and  the  government  to  secure  such  a  result.  They 
did  all  in  their  power  by  intimidation,  by  threats,  and  by 
appeals  to  race  and  religion.  It  was  a  supreme  struggle 
between  Church  and  State  for  supremacy.  The  government 
were  threatened  with  defeat,  but  they  stuck  manfully  to 
their  guns." 

The  denominational  Roman  Catholic  school  established 
by  Bishop  Charlebois  at  the  Pas  in  the  fall  of  1911  is  still  in 
existence:  it  is  supported  by  the  voluntary  donations  of  the 
parents  and  their  friends.^  At  the  census  taken  by  the  Board 
of  Trade  of  the  town  in  August  1913,  it  showed  an  enrolment 
of  63  with  an  average  attendance  of  59.^ 

^  Since  this  was  written,  the  Roman  Catholic  School  has  been  taken 
over  by  the  Public  School  Board  of  the  town,  on  the  understanding 
that  only  Roman  Catholic  teachers  shall  be  employed  to  teach  Roman 
Catholic  children,  and  that  the  latter  shall  occupy  separate  rooms. 

-  The  greater  portion  of  the  data  for  this  chapter  have  been  furnished 
me  by  the  great  work  of  Mr.  Castell  Hopkins.  The  Canadian  Annual 
Review. 


i6o  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

CHAPTER  XVII 

POLITICAL   ORGANISATION 

When  it  became  evident  that  the  Manitoba  boundary  question 
would  soon  be  settled,  the  few  white  inhabitants  of  the 
district  to  be  annexed,  while  considerably  removed  from 
the  rest  of  the  country,  began  to  organise  to  have  their  rights 
and  claims  recognised.  The  movement  was  started  by  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Herald,  a  newspaper  recently  established  at  the 
Pas,  which  in  an  editorial  under  date  of  January  i8,  1912, 
called  the  attention  of  its  readers  to  the  advisability  of  being 
consulted  by  the  men  at  the  head  of  affairs  in  Manitoba. 
Said  the  Herald :  "  We  are  not  without  information  as  to 
what  Manitoba  is  to  receive,  but,  so  far  as  we  have  seen,  no 
one  proposes  to  consult  the  inhabitants  of  the  area  to  be 
added.  They  all  calmly  assume  that  the  inhabitants  of  the 
north  are  willing  to  be  Manitobans,  and  so  we  are,  but  on 
fair  and  equitable  terms."  Then,  after  enumerating  the 
different  claims  of  the  new  territory:  "  The  Hudson's  Bay 
Herald  therefore  suggests  that  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  be 
called  to  consider  these  questions.  We  believe  the  meeting 
would  be  well  advised  if  it  would  extend  an  invitation  to 
Premier  Roblin  to  visit  Le  Pas  at  an  early  date  and  '  press 
his  suit.'  Mr.  Robhn  to-day  is,  as  far  as  we  are  concerned, 
in  the  position  of  a  wooer  who  has  got  the  consent  of  the  old 
people  first.  It  is  time  that  he  paid  some  attention  to  the 
fair  daughter  that  he  proposes  to  wed.  Let  him  come.  Let 
him  be  cordially  invited  to  come  to  Le  Pas  and  discuss  the 
terms  of  the  marriage  settlement." 

Meetings  of  the  citizens  were  held,^  an  invitation  was  wired 

1  The  members  of  the  committee  chosen  to  invite  and  welcome 
Premier  Roblin  were:  G.  Halcrow,  Senior  (Chairman),  Dr.  Wm. 
Sinclair,  J.  Clark,  Dr.  A.  Larose,  H.  S.  Johnson,  J.  E.  Rusk,  Captain 
H.  H.  Ross,  W.  H.  Bunting,  T.  H.  P.  Lamb,  Rev.  A.  Fraser,  Rev.  E. 
Trigg,  F.  Fischer,  R.  Kerr,  and  A.  H.  de  Tremaudan  (Secretary). 


POLITICAL  ORGANISATION  i6i 

to  Premier  Roblin  to  come  to  the  Pas  to  discuss  the  proposed 
admittance  of  Keewatin  into  Manitoba.  The  invitation  was 
readily  accepted,  and  on  February  i6,  191 2,  Premier  Roblin, 
accompanied  by  Honourable  Hugh  Armstrong,  Provincial 
Treasurer,  and  a  number  of  Winnipeg  friends,  arrived  at  the 
Pas. 

In  the  evening  the  following  address^  was  read  to  the 
honoured  visitor: 

"  To  the  Honourable  Rodmond  Palen  Roblin,  Member  of 
the  Legislative  Assembly,  Premier,  Minister  of  Agriculture, 
Commissioner  of  Railways  for  the  Province  of  Manitoba. 

"  Honourable  Sir:  It  is  a  great  pleasure  and  an  unprece- 
dented honour  for  the  district  included  in  the  proposed 
extension  of  the  Province  of  Manitoba,  and  for  the  town  of  Le 
Pas  in  particular,  to  have  the  opportunity  of  welcoming  you 
on  your  first  official  visit  to  Greater  Manitoba. 

"  While  the  citizens  of  this  place  take  the  liberty  of  calling  it 
a  town,  no  organisation  has  taken  place,  otherwise  we  would 
have  been  pleased  to  extend  to  you  and  your  party  the 
franchise  of  the  corporation, 

"  We  are  pleased  that  you  have  recognised  that  this  territory 
should  not  be  considered  as  a  mere  chattel,  but  that  matters 
pertaining  to  its  admission  into  the  Province,  at  the  head  of 
whose  affairs  you  have  been  placed,  by  the  public  confidence, 
should  be  discussed  with  its  citizens. 

"  We  have  claims,  which  we  consider  just  and  reasonable, 
to  present  to  you.  We  have  studied  them  carefully,  and  will 
define  their  importance  as  clearly  as  possible. 

"  The  most  important  of  these  claims  is  parliamentary 
representation,  both  in  the  Federal  House  and  in  the  Legisla- 
tive Assembly  of  Manitoba. 

"  The  representation  at  Ottawa  is  a  matter  which  we  think 
may  be  defined  in  the  Bill  which  will  be  presented  to  the 
Federal   House   and  approved  by  the   Legislature  of  your 

*  This  address  had  been  prepared  by  G.  Halcrow,  Senior,  Dr.  Wm. 
Sinclair,  and  A.  H.  de  Tremaudan,  and  revised  by  a  committee  com- 
posed of  those  three  gentlemen  with  the  addition  of  Captain  H.  H. 
Ross  and  H.  S.  Johnson. 

L 


i62  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Province.  We  feel  that  provision  should  be  made  whereby 
the  new  territory  should  have  one  member  in  the  present 
Parliament. 

"  As  to  our  representation  at  Winnipeg,  owing  to  the  vast- 
ness  of  our  district  and  the  difficulty  for  the  elected  members 
to  visit  their  constituents,  we  feel  that  no  less  than  two 
members  should  be  allowed  to  us,  and  that  provision  should 
be  made  for  their  election  as  soon  as  the  boundary  question  is 
settled. 

"  There  are  several  public  institutions  which  we  shall  require 
immediately,  prominent  among  which  are  a  judicial  district, 
a  land  titles  office,  police  headquarters,  telephones,  with  the 
usual  officials  connected  therewith,  and  the  buildings  required 
for  the  different  departments. 

"  Accompanying  the  construction  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Rail- 
way, the  influx  of  settlers,  labourers,  and  industrial  workmen 
will  be  so  large  that  such  institutions  shall  be  found  an  im- 
mediate and  absolute  necessity.  A  court  house  and  jail  with 
a  resident  judge  and  the  usual  minor  officials,  together  with 
poHce  headquarters,  must  be  provided  at  once. 

"  These  are  most  important  and  urgent  needs,  in  a  country 
where  for  some  time  there  will  be  so  many  men  of  all  nationaU- 
ties,  working  on  railway  construction,  and  in  the  lumber  camps 
and  mills,  and  possibly,  also,  in  the  mines  and  quarries  which 
are  expected  to  open  up  with  the  advent  of  the  railway. 

"  Le  Pas,  having  been  recognised  for  almost  a  centur}'  as 
one  of  the  strategic  points  of  Canada,  is  the  only  natural  place 
where  these  buildings  and  offices  may  be  located  to  any 
general  advantage. 

"  Le  Pas  v/ill  also  soon  be  the  radiating  point  of  a  district 
where  settlers  will  take  up  land.  A  land  titles  office  will 
therefore  be  found  necessary  from  the  beginning  to  deal  with 
the  business  properly.  Already  many  parties  here,  and  in 
the  surrounding  district,  have  titles  to  land  with  which  they 
find  it  very  difficult  to  deal  under  present  conditions. 

"  The  telephone  system  could  easily  be  extended  from 
Dauphin  through  Swan  River  and  Barrows  to  connect  at  Le 
Pas,  while  a  local  system  is  an  absolute  necessity. 


POLITICAL  ORGANISATION  163 

"  We  are  informed  that  the  debt  of  Manitoba  is  about 
$15,500,000,  in  addition  to  many  millions  of  indirect  liability 
in  the  form  of  railway  bonds,  etc.  These  liabilities  are  at 
present  spread  over  an  area  of  73,732  square  miles.  When 
the  boundaries  are  extended  they  will  be  spread  over  251,832 
square  miles.  We  will  not  have  benefited  through  the  ex- 
penditure of  any  of  that  money,  though  it  is  quite  evident  we 
shall  have  to  help  repay  a  very  large  portion  of  it.  It  seems, 
therefore,  only  reasonable  that  a  compensation  should  be 
allowed  in  the  form  of  special  grants  for  roads,  drains,  high 
schools,  hospitals,  etc.,  as  the  needs  arise. 

"  Again,  the  allowance  by  money  payment  from  the  Federal 
Government  will  be  considerably  increased  on  account  of  this 
added  area.  All  of  this  increase,  with  the  exception  of  the 
added  cost  of  administration,  should  be  spent  in  bringing  the 
new  district  on  a  par  with  the  older  portion  of  Greater  Manitoba. 

"  As  the  fur  trade  is  a  very  important  part  of  our  resources, 
especially  in  the  northern  part  of  the  district,  and  as  the 
restrictions  of  the  present  game  laws  of  Manitoba  are  too 
drastic  in  some  cases,  we  think  that  a  special  game  act  could 
be  made  applicable  to  the  new  district,  retaining  for  the  Indian, 
trapper,  voyageur  and  traveller,  the  privileges  they  now  enjoy, 
at  least  until  such  time  as  conditions  will  warrant  the  intro- 
duction of  more  severe  legislation. 

"  There  are  also  some  matters  that  may  be  of  a  federal 
nature,  but  which  we  believe  may  be  brought  to  your  attention 
with  the  humble  request  that  you  use  your  influence  and  that 
of  your  government  in  dealing  with  them  to  our  benefit,  and 
that  of  the  Manitoba  to  be. 

"  As  construction  progresses  settlers  will  be  taking  up  land 
along  the  Hudson  Bay  Road,  as  it  is  shown  that  thousands  of 
acres  of  good  grain-growing  land  are  available  for  cultivation. 
A  Dominion  land  office  will  be  an  almost  immediate  necessity. 

"  The  value  of  the  equipment  of  boats  saihng  from  Le  Pas 
amounts  alread}'  to  $100,000  or  more.  An}^  harbour,  docks, 
or  facilities  of  this  nature  have  so  far  been  provided  by  private 
efforts  and  finance.  Immediate  improved  accommodation  is 
required. 


164 


THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


"  Data  already  published  by  the  Federal  Government  show 
that  there  are  several  millions  of  acres  of  the  best  alluvial  soil 
along  the  Saskatchewan  River  and  its  tributaries  which  could 
be  reclaimed  at  a  very  inconsiderable  cost  per  acre,  by  lowering 
the  basin  of  the  river.  Dredging  and  providing  the  river  with 
locks,  would  at  the  same  time  improve  navigation.  Your 
government  would  be  well  advised  to  co-operate  with  the 
Dominion  Government  in  carrying  out  this  work. 

"  Speaking  generally,  we  naturally  expect  that  it  will  please 
you  and  your  government  to  accord  us  a  treatment  propor- 
tioned to  the  conditions  in  which  this  district  will  be  found 
on  its  admission  into  Manitoba. 

"  Such  are  the  different  claims  and  requests  that  we  feel 
justified  to  place  before  you.  We  trust  that  none  of  them 
will  appear  unreasonable,  and  that  the  marriage  settlement, 
mentioned  some  few  weeks  ago  by  our  local  press,  may  be  both 
easy  and  agreeable. 

"  For  the  citizens  of  the  new  territory  to  be  added  to  the 
Province  of  Manitoba  in  meeting  assembled  at  Le  Pas,  this 
twelfth  day  of  February,  a.d.  1912. 

"  G.  Halcrow,  Sr.,  Chairman." 

In  advancing  to  make  his  reply,  Premier  Roblin  ^  was  greeted 

'  A  copy  of  the  Herald,  containing  a  full  report  of  the  different 
functions  of  the  day,  including  the  address  to  and  the  reply  of  Premier 
Roblin,  was  mailed  to  him  under  special  cover.     His  reply  follows: 


Province  of  Manitoba, 
"  Premier's  Office. 


•'  Februaiy  27,  191 2. 

H.  DE  Tr6maudan, 
"Le  Pas,  N.W.T. 


Esq., 


"  My  dear  Tr6maudan. — I  have  just  received  the  issue  of  the  Herald 
of  the  22nd,  and  have  read  both  your  editorial  and  the  report  of  the 
public  meeting  at  which  I  was  present  recently  in  your  town.  I  write 
to  thank  you  for  the  exceedingly  kind  words  that  you  there  set  down, 
and  to  assure  you  that  it  will  be  my  ambition  to  merit  every  good  thing 
that  you  have  said. 

"Unfortunately  not  much  progress  has  been  made  at  Ottawa  since  I 
was  with  you.  I  hope  that  the  matter  will  take  shape  and  form  at  once, 
and  that  we  will  know  just  what  is  going  to  happen  in  the  course  of  a 
few  days  or  weeks  at  the  furthest.  In  the  meantime  we  have  nothing 
to  do  but  wait,  but  I  firmly  believe  everything  will  come  out  right,  and 


'VM' 


H 


0^1 


S  t3 


OCJ 


POLITICAL  ORGANISATION  165 

with  long  and  repeated  applause.  He  thanked  the  people  of 
the  Pas  for  their  kind  invitation  of  a  few  days  past  to  visit 
their  city,  and  expressed  his  pleasure  at  meeting  them.  The 
fact  that  he  had  travelled  almost  500  miles  to  judge  de  visu  of 
the  great  resources  of  Northern  Canada,  was  a  proof  of  the 
interest  that  he  was  taking  in  this  great  hinterland.  His 
coming  to  the  Pas  reminded  him  of  his  arrival  at  Winnipeg 
thirty-five  years  ago,  when  that  city  was  nothing  more  than  a 
small  village,  far  from  having  the  advantages  that  the  Pas 
had.  There  was  a  great  future  ahead  of  this  town.  A  more 
beautiful  site  for  a  city  he  had  never  seen ;  with  unity  amongst 
its  citizens,  industry,  and  enterprise,  there  was  no  reason  why 
this  town  should  not  grow  rapidly.  Everything  that  he  had 
expected,  and  more,  had  been  realised.  His  reason  for 
coming,  besides  the  invitation  that  he  had  received,  was  the 
change  of  boundaries  of  the  Province  of  Manitoba  soon  to  take 
place.  He  felt  that  it  was  right  for  him  to  come  and  discuss 
the  conditions  under  which  the  new  territory  would  be 
admitted  into  Manitoba.  He  had  been  thirty-one  years  in 
public  life,  and  during  that  time  had  never  seen  a  greater 
opportunity  for  development  in  the  country  than  at  the 
present  time,  with  the  Hudson  Bay  Road  being  rushed  to 
completion.  For  thirty  years  he  had  advocated  the  construc- 
tion of  this  road  and  the  extending  of  Manitoba's  boundaries, 
but  not  until  the  Borden  Government  had  come  into  power 
had  there  been  any  likelihood  of  these  two  requirements  being 
fulfilled;  for  thirty  years  he  had  pressed  upon  the  different 
federal  administrations  the  justice  of  Manitoba's  claim  that 
the  eastern  boundary  along  the  89th  degree  of  latitude  which 
had  been  recognised  in   1880  should  be  adhered  to.      But 

if  it  does,  with  the  union  of  the  north-west  territories  as  outlined  as  a 
future  portion  of  Manitoba,  and  the  older  part  of  the  province,  we  can 
together  go  forward  along  the  line  of  provincial  development  to  a  point 
of  greatness  that  will  give  us  a  proud  position  in  this  Dominion.  To 
this  end  I  am  sure  that  we  will  all  work,  and  a  great  deal  depends  upon 
leaders  of  public  thought  like  yourself,  and  I  must  say  that  I  am  pleased 
with  the  high  and  patriotic  course  and  position  that  you  are  taking 
in  this  connection. 

"With  assurances  of  my  kindest  regards,  believe  me  to  be,  Yours 
very  truly, — R.  P.  Roblin." 


i66  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Ontario,  in  the  reference  of  the  matter  to  the  Privy  Council, 
had  won  its  case.  In  1901  the  Parhament  of  Canada  had 
recognised  the  justice  of  Manitoba's  claims  for  an  extension  of 
boundaries,  but  a  settlement  had  been  delayed  until  after  the 
formation  of  the  provinces  of  Saskatchewan  and  Alberta.  Since 
then,  owing  to  the  late  federal  administration  having  refused 
to  treat  Manitoba  on  the  same  financial  basis  as  the  new 
provinces,  it  had  remained  a  postage  stamp  on  the  map  of 
Canada.  It  had  been  left  to  Premier  Borden  to  say  that 
Manitoba's  boundaries  should  be  extended  to  Hudson  Bay 
and  that  it  should  receive  a  subsidy  on  a  par  with  those  of  the 
new  provinces.  The  greatest  difficulty  had  been  the  minority 
in  Manitoba  who  would  make  people  believe  that  he  was  a 
"  being  with  hoofs  and  horns  " ;  an  evil  spirit.  He  had  thought 
he  should  show  that  he  was  not  quite  so  bad  as  that. 

He  would  now  deal  with  the  address,  which  looked  to  him  a 
rather  considerable  bill  of  fare,  in  which  nothing  had  been  left 
out.  He  felt  that  if  he  was  able  to  digest  it  all  there  would  not 
be  much  left  of  him  to  continue  his  duties  as  Premier  of 
Manitoba.  He  would  explain  that  the  part  of  the  territory 
which  was  to  go  into  Manitoba  was  a  part  of  land  which  no 
one  had  ever  asked  for.  While  he  was  not  in  a  position  to 
guarantee  anything,  the  bill  not  having  been  introduced  in 
the  House  of  Commons,  he  could  state  that  both  the  Federal 
and  his  government  had  agreed  on  boundaries  and  financial 
arrangements,  and  that  confirmation  by  both  Houses  was  all 
that  was  needed;  this  being  done,  Manitoba  would  have 
equality  with  the  other  provinces.  He  thought  that  if  he 
were  able  to  accomplish  this,  not  only  would  Manitoba  lead, 
but  it  would  outstrip  all  other  provinces  and  become  the  key- 
stone of  Canada.  He  admired  the  business-like,  direct  way  in 
which  the  address  had  been  constructed  and  the  citizens  of 
the  Pas  had  approached  him.  He  felt  sure  that  the  Federal 
Government  would  give  them  fair  play  as  to  representation. 
As  far  as  the  Legislature  of  Manitoba  was  concerned,  the 
House  would  meet  on  February  22,  when  he  would  introduce  a 
measure  for  one  member  to  represent  this  territory  as  soon  as 
possible,  if  not  for  this  session,  certainly  for  the  next  one. 


POLITICAL  ORGANISATION  167 

Then  the  people  of  the  new  territory  would  have  a  man  in  the 
House  to  see  that  their  rights  were  protected.  As  progress 
would  take  place,  additional  representation  would  be  granted.^ 
There  were  here  wonderful  possibilities  in  the  fisheries,  the 
forests,  the  minerals,  and  other  resources,  including  agriculture. 
Farmers  would  soon  come  and  locate  here.  All  institutions 
asked  for  would  be  granted  as  conditions  warranted.  Regarding 
telephones,  there  had  been  enough  noise  made  on  the  adver- 
tised question  to  deafen  a  bronze  statue,  and  if  the  opposition 
papers  were  to  be  believed,  the  system  was  bad,  and  it  should 
be  undesirable  for  any  town  to  obtain  the  installation  of  any. 
He  could  not  promise  any  long-distance  connection  at  present, 
but  a  local  system  would  be  built  just  as  soon  as  the  boundaries 
were  extended  and  the  place  had  organised  municipally.  He 
would  deny  most  emphatically  that  the  debts  of  Manitoba 
were  as  high  as  mentioned  in  the  address,  which  showed  the 
evil  ways  his  opponents  were  using  to  discredit  him.  Pro- 
vincial Treasurer  Armstrong  would  deal  with  the  question. 
This  statement  regarding  the  debt  and  also  the  following 
statement,  that  the  increase  of  subsidy  should  all  be  spent  in 
the  new  territory,  showed  how  carefully  the  address  had  been 
prepared.  However,  the  increased  portion  of  the  subsidy  was 
not  being  granted  wholly  on  account  of  the  new  territory,  but 
by  virtue  of  a  rearrangement  of  financial  terms.  If  Dr.  Sinclair^ 
meant  that  the  portion  granted  on  account  of  the  new  territory 
should  be  spent  so,  then  he  was  quite  prepared  to  promise  that 
there  would  be  no  cause  for  complaint.  As  to  the  game  laws, 
he  would  admit  the  fairness  of  the  request  made  and  see  that 
the  law  of  Manitoba  was  so  amended  as  not  to  disturb  the 
present  conditions.  He  would  suggest  that  the  game  guardian 
be  sent  to  Winnipeg  to  present  the  claims  of  those  interested  to 
the  House.  He  would  promise  to  use  his  influence  with  the 
Federal  Government  to  obtain  the  necessary  harbours,  docks, 
and  other  facilities  of  the  same  nature  required.  The  greater 
part  of  the  efforts  of  Greater  Manitoba  would  no  doubt  be 

*  New  Manitoba  has  now  three  members.     The  names  of  the  seats 
are:  The  Pas,  Grand  Rapids,  and  Churchill-Nelson. 

*  Dr.  Sinclair  had  read  the  address. 


i68  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

spent  on  the  new  territory.  If  the  developments  at  the  Pas, 
which  had  surprised  him  and  his  friends,  were  indications  of 
what  could  be  done  in  the  district,  there  was  every  probability 
that  with  the  added  advantages  that  it  would  have,  Manitoba 
would  become  the  foremost  province  in  the  Dominion.  If,  as 
small  as  it  had  been  in  the  past,  Manitoba  had  attained  such 
an  enviable  place  as  it  had  attained,  what  would  it  become 
when  maritime  opportunities  would  be  given  it?  We  would 
then  all  be  proud  of  being  citizens  of  Manitoba,  \\nien  he 
would  return  in  the  fall  he  felt  sure  that  he  would  then  find  at 
the  Pas  a  city  of  4000  or  5000  people. 

The  loud  applause  having  subsided  Provincial  Treasurer 
Armstrong  followed.  He  had  tried  to  get  out  of  coming  but 
Premier  Roblin  had  insisted,  and  as  they  of  the  cabinet  had 
always  been  accustomed  to  consider  him  as  "  the  boss,"  he 
had  had  to  surrender.  The  rest  of  the  province  would  be  very 
pleased  to  welcome  the  new  territory.  There  could  be  no  doubt 
about  the  Pas  becoming  one  of  the  great  cities  of  Manitoba. 
On  account  of  its  geographical  position,  in  fact,  it  should 
become  the  second  city  in  the  province.  The  statement  con- 
cerning the  debt  of  Manitoba  embodied  in  the  address  was  a 
proof  of  what  the  Opposition  was  ready  to  resort  to  for  the 
sake  of  discrediting  the  present  administration  of  Manitoba. 
Recently  it  had  gone  so  far  as  stating  that  he  would  resign  on 
account  of  disagreement  with  the  other  ministers.  Since 
1900  not  $1  had  been  borrowed  for  current  expenses,  and  out 
of  the  revenue  of  the  province,  buildings,  representing  a  large 
sum  of  money,  had  been  erected.  There  w^as  an  indirect 
liability  by  way  of  railway  bonds,  but  this  was  secured  by  a 
mortgage  on  the  properties  of  the  railway  companies  which 
had  secured  the  government's  signature.  Manitoba  had 
$9,000,000  invested  in  telephones,  and  $1,000,000  in  grain 
elevators.  Outside  of  these  sums  there  was  not  $1  of  public 
debt.  The  fact  that  the  province  was  able  to  borrow  money 
on  the  London  market  at  2t\  per  cent,  was  pretty  good  evi- 
dence that  its  credit  was  as  good  as  that  of  any  other  province. 
Under  the  old  federal  S3'stem  Manitoba  had  been  receiving 
$1,000,000  less  than  the  other  two  western  provinces,  which 


POLITICAL  ORGANISATION  169 

received  interest  on  $8,000,000,  while  Manitoba  received 
interest  only  on  $3,700,000.  Saskatchewan  was  receiving  a 
subsidy  of  $800,000.  Manitoba  was  getting  only  $500,000. 
He  was  pleased  that  Premier  Roblin  was  on  the  eve  of  obtain- 
ing a  square  deal. 

There  were  in  the  party  men  representing  various  industries, 
finances,  and  newspapers,  who  were  most  taken  up  with  the 
position  of  the  Pas  and  the  new  district.  He  would  thank 
the  citizens  for  the  splendid  reception  given  to  the  party,  and 
hoped  that  some  one  would  convey  his  and  the  rest  of  the 
visitors'  thanks  to  the  ladies,  who  had  prepared  the  beautiful 
banquet  at  which  they  had  dined. 

A  local  speaker  showed  the  absolute  necessity  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  customs  office  for  the  new  district  of  the  Pas,  a 
request  which  had  been  inadvertently  left  out  of  the  address. 
There  were  a  number  of  other  speakers  on  the  different 
questions  at  issue. 

In  reply  to  a  remark  by  one  of  the  local  men  that  he  had  not 
specifically  promised  granting  the  requests  of  the  new  terri- 
tory, Mr.  Roblin  stated  that  he  wished  the  people  to  under- 
stand that  public  money  was  not  expended  according  to  the 
size  of  a  district,  but  as  needs  would  arise  at  local  points,  such 
as  the  Pas,  Churchill,  or  York  Factory.  Manitoba  was  not 
absorbing  the  North-West  Territory,  but  was  forming  a  union 
with  it,  to  make  Greater  Manitoba  the  greatest  province  of  the 
Dominion.  He  was  very  much  impressed  with  the  business 
manners,  not  only  of  the  white  people,  but  also  of  the  Indians, 
and  wished  to  thank  their  chief  for  his  words  of  welcome.^  He 
would  assure  them  that  their  rights  would  be  protected.  He 
did  not  know  of  any  place  where  public  moneys  could  be 
expended  to  better  advantage  than  at  the  Pas ;  no  place  had 
a  greater  future;  nothing  could  stop  its  progress.  He  had 
visited  many  places  in  his  public  life,  and,  honestly  and  truth- 
fully, he  had  never  gone  to  a  town,  where  he  was  a  total 
stranger,  where  he  had  been  so  well  received.  He  would 
rather  have  the  good-will  and  the  esteem  of  his  countrymen 

1  See  the  whole  of  the  ladiaa  chief's  address,  infra,  end  of  Chapter 
XIX. 


170  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

between  the  45th  parallel  and  the  shores  of  Hudson  Bay  than 
the  fortune  of  a  Rothschild  or  the  wealth  of  the  Orient. 

The  address  presented  to  Premier  RobHn  and  his  reply  on 
February  16,  1912,  at  the  Pas,  form,  so  to  speak,  the  charter 
of  New  Manitoba :  grants  and  other  public  measures  affecting 
that  portion  of  the  northland  since  that  date  have  all  been  and 
are  still  based  on  the  demands  and  promises  made  on  that 
memorable  day;  as  Premier  Robhn  said,  in  a  familiar  way, 
in  the  course  of  his  main  speech,  there  had  been  nothing 
forgotten  in  the  address,  and  he  had  found  himself  in  the 
obligation  of  defining  the  policy  of  his  government  on  every 
important  point  in  which  the  new  territory  was  interested.^ 

1  A  tangible  result  of  the  intelligent  move  taken  by  the  citizens  of  the 
Pas  on  this  occasion  is  that  the  following  institutions,  or  improvements, 
have  been,  or  are  in  course  of  being,  secured  for  their  town:  judicial 
centre  with  court  house  and  jail,  headquarters  for  Royal  North-West 
Mounted  Police  detachment,  cash  grants,  guarantee  of  civic  debentures, 
Dominion  land  office,  customs  house,  river  dredging  and  wharves, 
local  telephones,  etc. 


CLIMATE  171 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

CLIMATE 

Because  Manitoba's  new  territory  is  some  hundred  miles 
further  north  than  the  rest  of  the  province  it  is  imagined  that 
the  climate  is  very  rigorous.  This  is  a  totally  wrong  im- 
pression. No  doubt,  in  winter,  the  thermometer  will  go  down 
somewhat  lower  than  at  points  a  distance  south,  but  it  must 
be  remembered  that  in  summer  the  days  are  longer.  "  A  region 
lying  in  a  higher  latitude,  though  showing  a  lower  yearly 
average  temperature,  may  during  the  growing  months, 
owing  to  its  longer  hours  of  sunshine,  have  quite  as  good  an 
average."^ 

A  traveller  in  those  regions,  Mr.  J.  W.  M'Laggan  of  Strath- 
cona,  remarks:  "  The  summer  seems  to  be  good,  and  where 
good  land  is  found  there  should  be  no  trouble  to  raise  crops 
of  all  hardy  grains  and  vegetables."  The  climate  seemed 
good  to  Mr.  M'Laggan  in  the  first  week  of  September.  The 
foliage  was  green;  there  was  no  sign  of  severe  frost,  and 
butterflies,  hornets,  and  other  insects  were  numerous  and 
active.  The  first  frost  noted  was  on  August  31,  "  but  not 
enough  to  damage  wheat."  The  weather  was  fine  in  the 
morning  and  it  rained  in  the  afternoon.  Near  Cormorant 
Lake  he  saw,  on  August  27,  a  garden  of  "  potatoes, 
carrots,  onions,  turnips,  and  cabbage  doing  well  with  no  sign 
of  frost."  On  September  13  he  noted  that  the  weather 
was  fine  but  cold,  with  a  heavy  frost  in  the  morning;  that 
the  leaves  were  falling,  and  that  it  began  to  look  like  autumn. 
Considerable  rain  followed,  which,  on  October  4,  gave  place 
to  snow,  to  be  followed  by  rain.  The  night  of  October  7  is 
noted  as  the  first  really  cold  one  of  the  season;  but  the 
morning  brought  rain.     There  was  snow  again  on  the  8th  with 

1  M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  25. 


172  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

high  wind  and  ice  on  the  water  along  the  shore  of  Goose 
Lake.  It  was  "  fine  and  warm  "  on  the  nth,  and  "  clear 
and  cold  "  on  the  13th  when  he  reached  the  Pas  on  his  return.^ 

"  The  cold  at  Nelson  House  is  no  more  intense  than  that 
of  a  winter  in  Northern  Manitoba  as  at  present  constituted," 
says  the  Reverend  John  Semmens,  who  spent  several  years 
as  a  missionary  in  the  north  countrj^  on  the  banks  of  the 
Bumtwood  River  at  Nelson  House,  "  but  the  frost  sets  in  rather 
sooner,  and  tarries  rather  longer  than  it  does  at  the  north 
end  of  Lake  Winnipeg.  Roots  and  vegetables  planted 
about  May  24  do  well  and  are  gathered  about  September  15. 
The  presence  of  so  much  water  so  regulates  the  temperature 
that  there  are  few  frosts  either  early  or  late  to  make  growth 
uncertain;  yet,  in  my  experience,  wheat  is  not  a  sure  crop. 
All  depends  upon  the  season.  Oats  and  barley  will  do  well 
any  time."  ^ 

Rev.  Dr.  John  M'Dougall,  a  pioneer  missionary  of  the 
west,  thus  describes  the  country  to  the  south  of  Spht  Lake: 
"  There  are  but  two  seasons  there — summer  and  winter — each 
fitting  into  the  other  with  little  or  no  spring  or  fall.  This, 
to  a  large  extent,  does  away  with  the  broken  weather  which 
is  so  often  experienced  in  the  east  at  the  changing  of  the 
seasons,  and  makes  the  conditions  more  favourable  for  settle- 
ment. The  winter  is  steady  and  pleasant,  and  although 
cold,  is  not  nearly  so  severe  as  is  generally  supposed.  In 
fact,  the  climate  is  far  more  moderate  than  in  Southern 
Manitoba,  the  home  of  'No.  i  Hard  '  wheat.  The  summer 
begins  early  and  the  growth  and  vegetation  are  almost  of  a 
tropical  character.  This  is  attributable  to  the  longer  hours 
of  sunshine  that  prevail  and  the  proximity  of  streams  of 

1  M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  27.  In  his  very  interesting  little  book  entitled 
First  Pastoral  Visit  to  the  Indian  Missions,  Mgr.  Ovide  Charlebois, 
O.M.I. ,  Bishop  of  Berenice,  Vicar- Apostolic  of  Keewatin,  with  residence 
at  the  Pas,  writes  under  date  September  29,  5  p.m.  (191 1),  from  Grand 
Rapids:  "  The  weather  was  calm  this  morning,  but  very  cold.  The 
water  froze  at  the  sides  of  the  canoe,  and  on  the  paddles.  It  did  the 
same  in  my  cruet  while  I  was  saying  Mass  in  the  tent.  However,  a 
fine  sun  came  in  good  time  to  warm  up  the  atmosphere,  so  that  we  feel 
more  comfortable  at  present"  (p.  69). 

'  M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  28. 


-a. 


X  a. 


CLIMATE  173 

living  waters  everywhere  in  the  district,  each  of  which  is 
conducive  to  plant  nourishment."  ^ 

As  early  as  1774,  Arthur  Dobbs,  the  historian  of  La  France 
about  whom  we  have  read,  wrote:  "  There  might  be  com- 
fortable settlements  made  in  most  places,  and  very  tolerable 
even  in  the  worst  and  coldest  parts  of  that  continent,  which 
are  the  north-east  and  north-west  sides  of  the  bay;  but  on 
the  southern  and  western  sides  of  the  bay  there  might  be  made 
as  comfortable  settlements  as  in  Sweden,  Livonia,  or  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Baltic;  and  farther  into  the  country  south- 
west the  climate  is  as  good  as  the  southern  part  of  Poland 
and  northern  part  of  Germany  and  Holland."  ^ 

In  1752,  Robson,  the  architect  of  Fort  Prince  of  Wales,  had 
a  similar  opinion:  "  I  have  seen  a  small  pea  growing  without 
any  culture  (at  York  Factory).  Most  kinds  of  garden  stuff, 
particularly  pease  and  beans,  grow  here  to  perfection.  ...  I  am 
of  opinion  that  barley  would  flourish.  .  .  .  Gooseberries  and 
red  and  black  currants  are  found  in  the  woods  growing  upon 
such  bushes  as  in  England.  ...  I  should  expect  by  no  more 
labour  than  would  be  proper  for  my  health  to  procure  a 
desirable  livelihood;  not  at  all  doubting  of  my  being  able  to 
raise  pease  and  beans,  barley  and  probably  other  kinds  of 
grain  (on  Hayes  River) ....  The  natural  produce  of  Hudson 
Bay  grows  very  fast,  and  comes  to  perfection  much  sooner 
than  that  of  England.  There  is  no  spring  or  fall — a  leap 
from  winter  to  summer.  .  .  .  The  soil  is  fertile,  the  climate 
temperate,  fit  for  the  produce  of  all  kinds  of  grain  and  for 
raising  flocks  of  tame  cattle.  ...  At  Churchill  horses  and 
cows  have  been  kept  in  winter,  though  greatly  exposed  to  the 
frost  and  cold,  ...  at  Moose  Factory  sown  wheat  has  stood 
the  winter  frosts  and  grown  very  well  the  summer  following, 
.  .  .  black  cherries  also  planted  here  have  grown  and  borne 
fruit,  as  would  other  trees  if  propagated;  .  .  .  the  climate 
is  not  worse  than  that  of  Sweden,  Denmark,  Russia,  Poland 
and  North  Germany."  ^ 

"  Captain    Middleton   reached    Churchill    on    August    10, 

'  M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  30.  ^M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  39. 

*  M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  38. 


174  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

1741,  and  wintered  there.  His  records  evidence  no  great 
severity  of  weather.  The  first  snow  fell  on  September  i. 
The  geese  then  went  southward.  By  October  18  it  became 
reaUy  cold  and  winter  weather  continued;  but  by  March  17 
it  grew  milder,  and  by  April  2  the  record  is,  '  calm  and  warm, 
with  a  clear  sky.'     There  was,  of  course,  frost  after  that."^ 

Mr.  E.  Mosher,  of  Halifax,  was  at  Churchill  from  Sep- 
tember 2  to  January  7,  superintending  the  construction  of 
buildings  for  the  Royal  North- West  Mounted  Police.  "  So 
far,"  he  said,  "  as  the  weather  is  concerned,  I  would  as  soon 
have  spent  the  months  in  Churchill  as  in  Halifax."  He  "  did 
not  find  the  cold  any  more  severe  than  in  the  east."  According 
to  his  observations,  "  the  lowest  temperature  registered  was 
39°  below  zero."  ^ 

Speaking  of  his  trip  between  Fort  ChurchiU  and  the  Pas 
in  the  fall  of  1906  and  the  following  winter,  W.  Thibeaudeau, 
civil  engineer,  writes  in  his  report :  "  September  was  very 
windy,  rather  cold,  and  a  few  days  of  rain.  October,  splendid 
weather,  bright  and  clear.  November,  some  snow  and  rather 
windy.  December,  colder  and  more  snow.  The  coldest  day 
was  49°  below  zero  on  one  day."  ^ 

Professor  Macoun,  whose  optimism  with  regard  to  the 
north  country  is  well  known  and  whose  name  wall  be  handed 
down  to  posterity  in  Canada  in  this  respect,  says:  "  In  con- 
clusion, I  may  say  that  the  climate  of  the  whole  northland 
is  a  stable  one,  and  as  local  conditions  change  it  will  improve, 
and  where  small  spots  are  now  called  good  land  whole  areas 
will  take  that  term.  The  low  altitude  and  the  long  da}'  are 
fixed  conditions  and  will  always  be  the  Scime.  The  forest 
will  be  cleared  and  the  muskegs  drained,  and  as  the  land 
becomes  drier  the  frosty  conditions  will  pass  away  and  a  good 
country  will  result."  ^ 

Let  us  now  hear  what  Mr.  R.  F.  Stupart,  Director  of  the 
Meteorological  Service  for  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  had  to 

1  M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  43.  ^  M'Keana,  op.  cit.  p.  43. 

'M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  52. 

*  Canada's  Fertile  Northland,  Evidence  of  Mr.  R.  E.  Young,  D.L.S.. 
Superintendent  of  Railway  Lands, before  the  Select  Standing  Committoc 
on  Agriculture  and  Colonisation,  1907-8,  p.  151. 


CLIMATE  175 

say  in  his  evidence  before  the  Select  Committee  of  the  Senate, 
April  5,  1907.  The  report,  published  under  the  direction  of 
Mr.  R.  E.  Young,  D.L.S.,  Chief  Geographer,  reads  as  follows: 
"As  to  the  isothermal  lines  of  that  part  of  the  country  lying 
south  and  west  of  Split  Lake  on  the  route  of  the  proposed 
railway  between  the  head  of  the  Pas  and  Churchill,  Mr. 
Stupart  explained  that  in  the  month  of  June  the  district  in 
question  is  between  the  isothermal  line  of  50  and  55.  The 
corresponding  isothermal  district  in  Europe  would  be  the 
extreme  north  of  Scotland  in  June.  In  July  that  district  is 
between  the  isothermal  lines  55  and  60,  and  that  would  corre- 
spond with  Scotland  and  a  portion  of  Scandinavia.  In  the 
month  of  August  the  district  in  question  is  about  55,  and 
there  you  have  Scotland  again.  That  country  had  a  reasonably 
fair  climate  for  the  three  summer  months,  June,  July,  and 
August."  The  lowest  temperature  he  had  at  Cape  Prince 
of  Wales  in  the  winter  of  1884-85  was  38°  below  zero,  but  the 
average  temperature  was  23^°.^ 

In  the  same  book  there  is  given  the  report  of  Mr.  William 
M'Innes,  M.A.,  geologist,  before  the  same  committee:  "  Mr. 
MTnnes  said  he  could  not  very  well  closely  indicate  the 
isothermal  line  on  the  part  of  the  country  he  had  explored 
last  year,  but  he  could  say  that  the  country  averaged  from 
four  to  five  degrees  in  the  summer  months  higher  temperature 
than  the  same  latitude  further  west.  He  thought  that  the 
isothermal  line  which  would  go  past  the  north  end  of  the 
country  he  had  been  speaking  of  would  come  down  as  far 
as  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  which  would  be  a  very 
long  distance  south.  He  had  records  kept  during  all  summer 
of  the  temperatures  through  that  western  country,  and  he  had 
a  summary  of  the  record  kept  in  the  preceding  summers. 

"  He  was  rather  surprised  at  the  warmth  of  that  western 
country  in  summer.  He  was  surprised  at  the  way  heat  kept 
up  in  the  evenings.  He  kept  the  thermometer  readings 
morning,  noon  and  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  found  the 
six  o'clock  temperatures  were  almost  as  warm  as  the  noon 

^  The  New  North-West,  The  Senate  Report  of  1907,  published  under 
the  direction  of  R.  E.  Young.'D.L.S.,  Chief  Geographer,  etc.,  p.  133. 


176  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

temperatures.  That  country  has  a  very  long  day  in  summer. 
The  day  in  those  high  latitudes  is  very  much  longer,  and  the 
growing  time  proportionately  longer.  In  June  they  have 
about  eighteen  hours  of  daylight. 

"  As  to  the  district  where  he  found  the  170  miles  of  agricul- 
tural land  he  had  described,  he  only  reached  there  about  the 
middle  of  June.  There  was  no  frost  in  the  balance  of  June  or 
in  July,  and  no  frost  in  August,  excepting  once,  on,  he  thought, 
the  29th,  when  the  thermometer  dropped  just  to  freezing 
point.  There  was  not  enough  frost  to  touch  vegetation  at 
all  in  the  valley  of  the  river  where  he  was.  He  noticed  when 
he  got  out  to  the  Saskatchewan  there  was  rather  a  high  ridge 
on  which  there  were  a  lot  of  half-breed  settlers.  He  got 
there  on  September  6,  and  noticed  on  top  of  the  hills  where 
they  had  potatoes  that  they  had  been  touched  just  on  the 
tops,  but  down  in  the  \dllages  the  potatoes  in  the  garden  of 
the  Hudson  Bay  post  had  not  been  touched  at  all.  He 
presumed  that  frost  was  on  August  29. 

"  The  witness  had  often  been  over  the  Canadian  Pacific 
Railway  between  Lake  Nipissing  and  Port  Arthur,  and  the 
country  he  had  traversed  from  the  Pas  eastwards  as  com- 
pared with  the  country  north  of  Lake  Superior  was  much 
superior."  ^ 

The  evidence  of  Donaldson  Bogart  DowUng,  B.Ap.Sc,  of 
the  Geological  Survey,  is  given  in  the  following  words :  "  With 
reference  to  the  climate,  witness  did  not  care  to  say  very 
much,  because  he  had  only  been  in  the  country  in  the  simimer 
time,  and  without  having  taken  records  of  temperature  it 
would  hardly  do.  The  country  was  in  a  flourishing  condition, 
and  they  never  expected  to  have  anything  frozen.  The  most 
northerly  point  where  he  had  seen  vegetable  products  in 
Keewatin  was  on  the  Nelson  River  about  56°,  which  would  be 
180  miles  north  2  of  Churchill.  At  Churchill  they  had  winds 
from  the  south-west  all  summer  long,  which  made  it  very 
warm,  but  there  were  two  days  when  the  wind  shifted  and 
came  from  the  north,  the  people  wanted  their  overcoats  at 

1  The  New  North-West,  etc.,  p.  70. 

*  No  doubt  Mr.  Bowling  means  "  south.'" 


CLIMATE  177 

once.  Then  the  warm  weather  returned.  It  did  not  freeze, 
but  it  was  very  cold.  It  was  very  pleasant  in  the  summer. 
Sometimes  there  are  very  heavy  rainfalls,  but  witness  was 
fortunate  in  having  dry  summers.  He  had  a  couple  of 
showers.     However,  it  is  not  a  very  dry  climate."  ^ 

For  sixteen  years  that  potatoes  were  grown  at  Fort  Albany, 
on  James  Bay,  by  Father  F.  X.  Fafard,  O.M.I.,  for  some  time 
Vicar-General  of  the  Bishopric  of  Keewatin  at  the  Pas,  not 
one  failure  of  crop  was  recorded. 

The  following  is  from  the  book  of  Professor  Henry  Youle 
Hind,  M.A.,  on  the  North-West  Territory  conditions:  "The 
vegetable  productions  in  the  gardens  attached  to  Fort  a  la 
Corne,  with  a  brief  notice  of  the  periods  of  planting  and 
gathering,  will  show  that  the  climatic  adaptation  of  the  North 
Branch  (of  the  Saskatchewan)  near  the  Grand  Forks  is  not  of 
a  character  unfavourable  to  agricultural  operations.  .  .  .  On 
August  7,  in  the  garden  attached  to  Fort  a  la  Corne 
(about  18  miles  below  the  Grand  Forks)  potatoes  were  in 
flower,  and  the  tubers  of  early  varieties  of  the  size  of  hen's 
eggs.  Cabbages  were  well  formed.  Beet-roots  and  carrots 
quite  ready  for  the  kitchen.  Indian  corn  in  silk,  from  seed 
which  was  grown  in  the  garden  last  year.  Peas  ready  for 
gathering. 

"  In  the  garden  attached  to  the  Nepoween  Mission,  under 
the  charge  of  the  Rev.  Henry  Budd  (a  zealous  missionary  of 
native  origin),  all  the  vegetables  gave  promise  of  fair  and 
remunerative  crops.  The  potatoes  were  superb;  turnips, 
both  swedes  and  white,  remarkably  fine;  Indian  corn,  from 
seed  grown  on  the  spot  last  year,  in  silk;  wheat  rather  too 
rank  in  the  stalk — it  measured  5  ft.  3  in.  in  length  to  the  ear, 
which  was  well  formed  but  green,  and  it  seemed  doubtful  that 
it  would  ripen.  Mr.  Budd  speaks  very  favourably  of  the 
soU,  climate,  and  extent  of  land  available  for  agricultural 
purposes."  ^ 

I  will  quote  again  from  the  Hudson  Bay  Route  of  J.  A.  J. 
M'Kenna:  "  Mr.  MTnnes  gave  particular  attention  to  the 
question  of  climate,   which  he  rightly    considered   of    vital 

^  The  New  North-Wesi,  etc.,  p.  60.  '  Hind,  op.  cit.  p.  34. 

M 


178  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

importance  in  connection  with  this  region.  He  kept  a  careful 
record  of  temperatures,  and  from  the  time  it  was  begun  on 
June  19  until  the  night  of  September  29,  when  the  thermometer 
fell  to  26°,  there  was  no  frost  that  affected  even  tender  vegeta- 
tion. On  the  night  of  August  10  the  temperature  fell  to  the 
freezing  point,  but  did  not  get  low  enough  to  do  damage,  at 
least  in  the  valley  of  Grassy  River,  though  some  of  the  potato 
vines  on  the  summit  of  the  high  ridge  north  of  the  Pas  were 
slightly  touched.  He  was  convinced  that  the  district  is  not 
at  all  too  cold  for  general  agricultural  operations.  The  longer 
daily  duration  of  sunlight  in  these  high  latitudes  must  be 
taken  into  consideration,  and  for  purposes  of  comparison  with 
more  southerly  localities  yearly  averages  of  temperature  are 
of  no  value.  A  region  lying  in  a  higher  latitude,  though 
showing  a  lower  yearly  average  temperature,  may  during 
the  growing  months,  owing  to  its  longer  hours  of  sunshine, 
have  quite  as  good  an  average.  His  record  showed  that 
during  July  the  temperature  at  6  o'clock  p.m.  was  equal  to 
or  higher  than  the  noon  temperature  on  fifteen  days;  during 
August  on  nine  days,  and  during  September  on  eight  days, 
and  the  6  p.m.  averages  for  these  months  were  lower  than  the 
noon  averages  by  only  1°,  i|°  and  2°,  respectively.  For  the 
purpose  of  comparison,  Mr.  M'Innes  procured  from  the 
Director  of  the  Meteorological  Service  at  Toronto  an  abstract 
of  the  past  summer's  temperatures  at  Minnedosa,  Ston}/ 
Mountain,  Hillview,  and  Brandon,  and  comparing  them  with 
his  record  he  concluded  that  the  country  along  the  route  of 
the  proposed  railway  to  the  bay  is  conspicuously  warmer 
than  the  same  latitude  400  miles  further  east."  ^ 

The  following  is  the  summary  portion  of  the  official  report 
of  G.  Halcrow,  Sr.,  Observer  at  the  Meteorological  Station  of 
the  Pas  for  the  year  1913,  as  published  in  the  pamphlet  of 
the  Board  of  Trade  of  that  town  issued  in  the  spring  of  1914 : 

Yearly  mean  temperature  observed  at  7  a.m.  and  7  p.m. 

28.1°;   yearly  mean  maximum  40.9°;   yearly  mean  minimum 

20.3°;    average  mean  for  year  of  maximum  and  minimum 

30.5°;    mean  of  highest  maximum  for  year  59.0°;    mean  of 

*  M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  25. 


CLIMATE  179 

lowest  minimum  for  year  1.8°.  Rainfall  11.33  inches;  snow- 
fall 30.7  inches.  Reckoning  10  inches  of  snow  equal  to  i 
inch  rain,  total  precipitation  14.40  inches.  The  highest 
maximum  was  attained  in  June  with  86.0°,  and  the  lowest 
minimum  in  January  with  51.0°.^ 

1  The  Pas,  The  Gateway  to  Hudson  Bay.  p.  25.  See  also  what  Dr. 
William  Sinclair  of  the  Pas  had  to  say  on  his  return  from  Port  Nelson 
in  the  fall  of  19 14,  Appendix  G. 


i8o  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE   NATIVE   POPULATION 

A  BOOK  on  the  Hudson  Bay  route  and  New  Manitoba  would 
hardly  be  complete  without  a  word  about  the  native  population 
of  the  territory. 

Sir  John  Richardson  writing  on  the  subject  in  1851  says: 
"  From  Sault  Ste.  Marie  to  the  Saskatchewan,  and  the  banks 
of  Churchill  River,  the  native  inhabitants  term  themselves 
In-nin-yu-wTik  or  Ey-thinjni-wuk,  and  are  members  of  a 
nation  which  formerly  extended  southward  to  the  Delaware. 
That  part  of  this  widely  spread  people  which  occupies  the 
north  side  of  Lake  Huron,  the  whole  border  of  Lake  Superior, 
and  the  country  between  it  and  the  south  end  of  Lake  Winni- 
peg, call  themselves  Ochipewa,  written  also  Ojibbeway,  or 
Chippeway  (Note — They  are  the  Sauteurs  or  Saulteaux  of 
the  Canadians,  and  Sootoos  of  the  fur  traders) ;  and  the  more 
northerly  division,  who  name  themselves  Nathe-wj^thin- 
yu,  are  the  Crees  of  the  traders,  and  Knistenaux  of  French 
writers.  In  a  subsequent  chapter  I  shall  speak  more  parti- 
cularly of  the  place  which  this  people  hold  among  the  aboriginal 
nations.  At  present,  I  wish  merely  to  point  out  some  of  the 
circumstances  which  have  tended  to  work  out  a  difference  in 
the  moral  character  of  these  two  tribes,  essentially  the  same 
people  in  language  and  manners.  The  Crees  have  now  for 
more  than  twenty-six  years  been  under  the  undivided  control 
and  paternal  government  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company, 
and  are  wholly  dependent  on  them  for  ammunition,  European 
clothing,  and  other  things  which  have  become  necessaries. 
No  spirituous  hquors  are  distributed  to  them,  and  school- 
masters and  missionaries  are  encouraged  and  aided  by  the 
Company  to  introduce  among  them  the  elements  of  rehgion 
and  civilisation.  One  village  has  been  established  near  the 
depot  at  Norway  House,  and  another  at  the  Pas  on  the 


THE  NATIVE  POPULATION  i8i 

Saskatchewan,  each  having  a  church  and  school-house  and 
a  considerable  space  of  cultivated  ground.  The  conduct  of 
the  people  is  quiet  and  inoffensive;  war  is  unknown  in  the 
Cree  district;  and  the  Company's  officers  find  little  difficulty 
in  hiring  the  young  men  as  occasional  labourers. 

"  The  national  name  of  this  people  is  derived,  according  to 
the  custom  of  the  Americans,  from  the  word  '  man,'  which 
is  in  different  dialects  Ethinyu,  Ethin-u,  Inin-yu,  or  Inine. 
According  to  Schoolcraft  they  do  not  call  themselves  Unis- 
chauba  (common  light — Schoolcraft)  or  aborigines,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  have  a  tradition  current  among  the  southern 
members  of  the  nation,  that  the  country  they  now  hold  was 
previously  possessed  by  the  Alligewi,  of  whom  the  name  only 
remains  in  the  appellation  of  the  AUeghani  Mountains. 

"  Among  this  people  there  are  to  be  found  finer  examples 
of  the  human  figure,  handsomer  countenances,  and  a  more 
manly  and  independent  carriage,  than  among  the  Eskimos 
and  '  Tinne  ';  and  West's  exclamation  on  seeing  the  Apollo 
Belvidere,  that  he  was  a  young  Mohawk  warrior,  may  be 
adduced  as  evidence  of  the  natural  grace  which  a  ranger  of 
the  woods,  unfettered  by  artificial  restraints,  may  possess. 
In  fact,  the  attitudes  of  the  Eythinyuwuk  are  occasionally, 
and  especially  when  actuated  by  strong  passion,  striking,  and 
sometimes  elegant;  yet  the  habitual  gait  of  the  Red  Man 
is  not  a  graceful  one.  The  toes  are  turned  in;  the  step, 
though  elastic,  has  an  appearance  of  insecurity,  and  is  by 
no  means  majestic,  nor  even  pleasing,  to  one  unaccustomed  to 
see  the  centre  of  gravity  thrown  so  much  forward."  ^ 

The  Handbook  of  Indians  of  Canada,  pubUshed  by  the 
Geographic  Board  of  Canada  in  1913,  gives  the  following 
description : 

"  Cree  (contracted  from  Kristinaux,  French  form  of  Kenis- 
tenoag,  given  as  one  of  their  names).  An  important  Algon- 
quin tribe  of  British  America  whose  former  habitat  was  in 
Manitoba  and  Saskatchewan,  between  Red  and  Saskatchewan 
Rivers.     They  ranged  north-eastward  down  Nelson  River,  to 

*  Arctic  Searching  Expedition,  by  Sir  John  Richardson,  C.B.,  F.R.S., 
New  York,  Harper  &  Bros.,  1852,  p.  51. 


1 82  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

the  vicinity  of  Hudson  Bay,  and  north-westward  aknost  to 
Athabasca  Lake.  When  they  first  became  known  to  the 
Jesuit  missionaries  a  part  of  them  resided  in  the  region  of 
James  Bay,  as  it  is  stated  as  early  as  1640  that  '  they  dwell 
on  the  rivers  of  the  north  sea  where  Nipissings  go  to  trade 
with  them  ' ;  but  the  Jesuit  Relations  of  1661  and  1667 
indicate  a  region  farther  to  the  north-west  as  the  home  of 
the  larger  part  of  the  tribe.  A  portion  of  the  Cree,  as  appears 
from  the  tradition  given  by  Lacombe  [Did.  Lang.  Cris), 
inhabited  for  a  time  the  region  about  Red  River,  intermingled 
with  the  Chippewa  and  Maskegon,  but  were  attracted  to  the 
plains  by  the  buffalo,  the  Cree,  like  the  Chippewa,  being 
essentially  a  forest  people.  Many  bands  of  Cree  were  virtually 
nomads,  their  movements  being  governed  largely  by  the  food 
supply.  The  Cree  are  closely  related,  linguistically  and  other- 
wise, to  the  Chippewa.  Hay  den  regarded  them  as  an  off-shoot 
of  the  latter,  and  the  Maskegon  another  division  of  the  same 
ethnic  group. 

"  At  some  comparatively  recent  time  the  Assiniboin,  a 
branch  of  the  Sioux,  in  consequence  of  a  quarrel,  broke  away 
from  their  brethren  and  sought  alliance  with  the  Cree.  The 
latter  received  them  cordially  and  granted  them  a  home  in 
their  territory,  thereby  forming  friendly  relations  that  have 
continued  to  the  present  day.  The  united  tribes  attacked 
and  drove  south-westward  the  Sisksika  and  allied  tribes  who 
formerly  dwelt  along  the  Saskatchewan.  The  enmity  be- 
tween these  tribes  and  both  the  Sisksika  and  the  Sioux  has 
ever  since  continued.  After  the  Cree  obtained  firearms  they 
made  raids  into  the  Athapascan  country,  even  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains  and  as  far  north  as  Mackenzie  River.  Mackenzie, 
speaking  of  the  region  of. Churchill  River,  says  the  original 
people  of  this  area,  probably  slaves,  were  driven  out  by  the 
Cree. 

"  As  the  people  of  this  tribe  have  been  friendly  from  their 
first  intercourse  with  both  the  English  and  the  French,  and 
until  quite  recently  were  left  comparatively  undisturbed  in 
the  enjoyment  of  their  territory,  there  has  been  but  little 
recorded  in  regard  to  their  history.     This  consists  almost 


THE  NATIVE  POPULATION  183 

wholly  of  their  contests  with  neighbouring  tribes  and  their 
relations  with  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  In  1786,  ac- 
cording to  Hind,  these  Indians,  as  well  as  those  of  surrounding 
tribes,  were  reduced  to  less  than  half  their  former  numbers 
by  smallpox.  The  same  disease  again  swept  off  at  least  half 
the  prairie  tribes  in  1838.  They  were  thus  reduced,  according 
to  Hind,  to  one-sixth  or  one-eighth  of  their  former  population. 
In  more  recent  years,  since  game  has  become  scarce,  they  have 
lived  chiefly  in  scattered  bands,  depending  largely  on  trade 
with  the  agents  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  At  present 
they  are  gathered  chiefly  in  bands  on  various  reserves  in 
Manitoba,  mostly  with  the  Chippewa. 

"  Their  dispersion  into  bands  subject  to  different  conditions 
with  regard  to  the  supply  and  character  of  their  food  has 
resulted  in  varying  physical  characteristics ;  hence  the  varying 
descriptions  given  by  explorers.  Mackenzie,  who  describes 
the  Cree  comprehensively,  says  they  are  of  moderate  stature, 
well  proportioned,  and  of  great  activity.  Their  complexion 
is  copper-coloured  and  their  hair  black,  as  is  common  among 
Indians.  Their  eyes  are  black,  keen,  and  penetrating;  their 
countenance  open  and  agreeable.  In  regard  to  the  women 
he  says :  '  Of  all  the  nations  which  I  have  seen  on  this 
continent,  the  Knisteneaux  women  are  the  most  comely. 
Their  figure  is  generally  well  proportioned,  and  the  regularity 
of  their  features  would  be  acknowledged  by  the  more  civilised 
people  of  Europe.  Their  complexion  has  less  of  that  dark 
tinge  which  is  common  to  those  savages  who  have  less  cleanly 
habits.'  Umfreville,  from  whom  Mackenzie  appears  to  have 
copied  in  part  what  is  here  stated,  says  that  they  are  more 
inclined  to  be  lean  of  body  than  otherwise,  a  corpulent  Indian 
being  '  a  much  greater  curiosity  than  a  sober  one.'  Clark  {Sign 
Language,  1885)  describes  the  Cree  seen  by  him  as  wretchedly 
poor,  and  mentally  and  physically  inferior  to  the  Plains 
Indians;  and  Harmon  says  that  those  of  the  tribe  who  in- 
habit the  plains  are  fairer  and  more  cleanly  than  the  others. 

"  Their  hair  was  cut  in  various  fashions,  according  to  the 
tribal  divisions,  and  by  some  left  in  its  natural  state.  Henry 
says  the  young  men  shaved  off  the  hair  except  a  small  spot 


1 84  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

on  the  crown  of  the  head.  Their  dress  consisted  of  tight 
leggings,  reaching  nearly  to  the  hip,  a  strip  of  cloth  or  leather 
about  I  foot  long  passing  between  the  legs  and  under  a  belt 
around  the  waist,  the  ends  being  allowed  to  hang  down  in 
front  and  behind ;  a  vest  or  shirt  reaching  to  the  hips ;  some- 
times a  cap  for  the  head  made  of  a  piece  of  fur  or  a  small 
skin,  and  sometimes  a  robe  thrown  over  the  dress.  These 
articles,  with  moccasins  and  mittens,  constituted  their  apparel. 
The  dress  of  the  women  consisted  of  the  same  materials,  but 
the  shirt  extended  to  the  knees,  being  fastened  over  the 
shoulders  with  cords  and  at  the  waist  with  a  belt,  and  having 
a  flap  at  the  shoulders;  the  arms  were  covered  to  the  wrist 
with  detached  sleeves.  Umfreville  says  that  in  trading, 
fraud,  cunning,  Indian  finesse,  and  every  concomitant  vice 
was  practised  by  them  from  the  boy  of  twelve  years  to  the 
octogenarian,  but  where  trade  was  not  concerned  they  were 
scrupulously  honest.  Mackenzie  says  that  they  were  natur- 
ally mild  and  affable,  as  well  as  just  in  their  deaUngs  among 
themselves  and  with  strangers;  that  any  deviation  from  these 
traits  is  to  be  attributed  to  the  influence  of  the  white  traders. 
He  also  describes  them  as  generous,  hospitable,  and  exceedingly 
good  natured,  except  when  under  the  influence  of  spirituous 
liquor.  Chastity  was  not  considered  a  virtue  among  them, 
though  infidelity  of  a  wife  was  sometimes  severely  punished. 
Polygamy  was  common;  and  when  a  man's  wife  died  it  was 
considered  his  duty  to  marry  her  sister,  if  she  had  one.  The 
arms  and  utensils  used  before  trade  articles  were  introduced 
by  the  whites  were  pots  of  stone,  arrow-points,  spearheads, 
hatchets,  and  other  edged  tools  of  flint,  knives  of  buffalo  rib, 
fish-hooks  made  out  of  sturgeon  bones,  and  awls  from  bones  of 
the  moose.  The  fibrous  roots  of  the  white  pine  were  used 
as  twine  for  sewing  their  bark  canoes,  and  a  kind  of  thread 
from  a  weed  for  making  nets.  Spoons  and  pans  were  fashioned 
from  the  horns  of  the  moose  (Hayden).  They  sometimes 
made  fish-hooks  by  inserting  a  piece  of  bone  obliquely  into 
a  stick  and  sharpening  the  point.  Their  Hnes  were  either 
thongs  fastened  together  or  braided  willow  bark.  Their 
skin  tipis,  Hke  those  of  the  North  Athapascans,  were  raised  on 


THE  NATIVE  POPULATION  185 

poles  set  up  in  conical  form,  but  were  usually  more  com- 
modious. They  occasionally  erect  a  larger  structure  of 
lattice  work,  covered  with  birch  bark,  in  which  forty  men 
or  more  can  assemble  for  council,  feasting,  or  religious 
rites. 

"  The  dead  were  usually  buried  in  shallow  graves,  the  body 
being  covered  with  a  pile  of  stones  and  earth  to  protect  it 
from  beasts  of  prey.  The  grave  was  Uned  with  branches, 
some  of  the  articles  belonging  to  the  deceased  being  placed 
in  it,  and  in  some  sections  a  sort  of  canopy  was  erected  over 
it.  Where  the  deceased  had  distinguished  himself  in  war 
his  body  was  laid,  according  to  Mackenzie,  on  a  kind  of 
scaffolding,  but  at  a  later  date  Hayden  says  they  did  not 
practise  tree  or  scaffold  burial.  Tattooing  was  almost  universal 
among  the  Cree  before  it  was  abandoned  through  the  in- 
fluence of  the  whites.  The  women  were  content  with  having 
a  line  or  two  drawn  from  the  corners  of  the  mouth  towards 
the  angles  of  the  lower  jaw;  but  some  of  the  men  covered 
their  bodies  with  lines  and  figures.  The  Cree  of  the  woods 
are  expert  canoemen,  and  the  women  lighten  considerably 
their  labours  by  the  use  of  the  canoe,  especially  where  lakes 
and  rivers  abound.  A  double-head  drum  and  a  rattle  are 
used  in  all  religious  ceremonies  except  those  which  take  place 
in  the  sweat  house.  Their  religious  beliefs  are  generally 
similar  to  those  of  the  Chippewa. 

"  The  gentile  form  of  social  organisation  appears  to  be 
wanting.  On  account  of  the  uncertain  application  of  the 
divisional  names  given  by  the  Jesuit  missionaries  and  other 
early  writers  it  is  impossible  to  identify  them  with  those  more 
modernly  recognised.  Richardson  says:  '  It  would,  how- 
ever, be  an  endless  task  to  attempt  to  determine  the  precise 
people  designated  by  the  early  French  writers.  Every  small 
band,  naming  itself  from  its  hunting  grounds,  was  described 
as  a  different  nation.'  ...  So  far  as  now  known  the  ethnic 
divisions,  aside  from  the  Cree  proper,  are  the  Maskegon,  and 
the  Monsoni.  Although  these  are  treated  as  distinct  tribes, 
they  form,  beyond  doubt,  integral  parts  of  the  Cree.  It  was 
to  the  Maskegon,  according  to  Richardson,  that  the  name 


1 86  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Klistenaux,  in  its  many  forms,  was  anciently  applied,  a  con- 
clusion with  which  Henry  apparently  agrees."  ^ 

It  is  evident  that  a  number  of  the  characteristics  and 
peculiarities  given  in  the  above  description  of  the  Cree  nation 
do  not  now  apply  Uterally  to  the  present  members  of  this 
tribe :  they,  however,  furnish  a  very  fair  idea  of  their  habits 
before  or  where  they  are  not  influenced  by  the  ways  of 
civihsation. 

Of  the  Maskegons,  the  main  division  of  the  Cree  tribe,  and 
the  one  which  inhabits  that  portion  of  Manitoba's  new 
territory  along  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway,  the  same  blue 
book  has  the  following  information  to  give  out:  "  Maskegon 
(Muskigok),  '  they  of  the  marshes  or  swamps.'  An  Algonquin 
tribe  so  closely  related  to  the  Cree  that  they  have  appropriately 
been  called  a  subtribe.  According  to  Warren  the  Maskegon, 
with  the  Cree  and  the  Monsoni,  form  the  northern  division  of 
the  Chippewa  group,  from  which  they  separated  about  eight 
generations  before  1850.  The  traders  knew  them  as  Swampy 
Crees.  From  the  time  the  Maskegon  became  known  as  a 
distinct  tribe  until  they  were  placed  on  reserves  by  the 
Canadian  Government  they  were  scattered  over  the  swampy 
region  stretching  from  Lake  Winnipeg  and  Lake  of  the  Woods 
to  Hudson  Bay,  including  the  basins  of  Nelson,  Hayes,  and 
Severn  Rivers,  and  extending  south  to  the  watershed  of  Lake 
Superior.  They  do  not  appear  to  be  mentioned  in  the  Jesuit 
Relations  or  to  have  been  known  to  the  early  missionaries 
as  a  distinct  people,  though  the  name  '  Masquikoukiaks  ' 
in  the  Proces-verbal  of  the  Prise  de  Possession  of  1761  (Perrot, 
Mem.  293,  1864)  may  refer  to  the  Maskegon.  Tailhan,  in 
his  notes  to  Perrot,  gives  as  doubtful  equivalents  '  Mikikoueks 
ou  Nikikoueks,'  the  Otter  Nation,  a  conclusion  with  which 
Verwyst  {Missionary  Labours)  agrees.  Nevertheless  their 
association  with  the  '  Christinos  '  (Cree),  '  Assinipouals  ' 
(Assiniboin),2  and  all  of  those  inhabiting  the  countries  of  the 

*  Handbook  of  Indiajis  of  Canada,  1913,  published  by  the  Geographical 
Board  of  Canada,  p.  iiy  et  seq. 

"  The  only  Assiniboin  village  mentioned  in  print  is  Pasquayah, 
situated  where  Carrot  River  enters  the  Saskatchewan,  in  Northern 
Manitoba,  Canada.     Ibid.  p.  382. 


Squaw  and  Papoose,  Manitoba's  x\e\v  Tkrkiiorv 

Photo  by  The  Bishop  Charlebois  of  the  Pas. 


THE  NATIVE  POPULATION  187 

north  and  near  the  sea  (Hudson  Bay),  would  seem  to  justify 
identifying  them  with  the  Maskegon.  If  so  this  is  their  first 
appearance  in  history. 

"  Their  gentes  probably  differ  but  little  from  those  of  the 
Chippewa.  Tanner  says  that  the  Pezhew  (Besheu)  or  Wildcat 
gens  is  common  among  them.  No  reliable  estimate  can  be 
formed  of  their  numbers,  as  they  have  generally  had  no 
distinct  official  recognition.  In  1889  there  were  1254  Maskegon 
hving  with  Chippewa  on  reservations  in  Manitoba  at  Birch, 
Black,  Fisher,  Berens,  and  Polar  Rivers,  Norway  House  and 
Cross  Lake.  The  Cumberland  band  of  Saskatchewan  and 
the  Shoal  Lake,  Moose  Lake,  Chemawawin,  and  Grand  Rapids 
bands  of  Manitoba,  numbering  621  in  191 1,  consisted  of 
Maskegon,  and  they  formed  the  majority  of  the  Pas  band, 
numbering  427,  and  part  of  the  John  Smith  and  James  Smith 
bands  of  Duck  Lake  agency,  numbering  392.  There  were 
also  some  under  the  Manitowpah  agency  and  many  among 
the  1201  Indians  of  St.  Peter  reserve  in  Manitoba."  ^ 

Whatever  the  natives  of  Northern  Manitoba  may  have  been 
before  and  during  the  occupation  of  the  country  by  the  white, 
there  is  no  doubt  that  they  have  since  made  wonderful  strides 
towards  progress,  and  it  is  with  reason  that  one  of  their  best 
friends  and  companions.  Dr.  John  M'Dougall  of  Calgary, 
could  say  before  the  Canadian  Club  of  Manitoba's  metropolis, 
a  few  weeks  ago :  ^  "  You  and  I  are  the  development  of  countless 
generations.  The  Indian  has,  in  one  generation,  in  many 
cases,  risen  to  the  status  of  a  white  man."  Speaking  more 
particularly  of  the  Northern  Indian,  he  added:  "Into  that 
north  country  where  I  went  as  a  student  of  humanity,  I  came 
across  some  of  the  finest  people  I  have  ever  met.  I  remember 
an  Indian  missionary  by  the  name  of  Peter  Jacobs  sa5dng  to 
me:  '  John,  you  will  find  at  Norway  House  some  of  the  best 
men  and  women  you  have  ever  seen.'  I  was  amazed,  because 
I,  a  student  in  the  public  schools,  had  associated  the  far 
north  with  wilderness  and  desperate  lives,  etc.     But,  sure 

^  Handbook  of  Indians  of  Canada,  1 91 3,  published  by  the  Geographical 
Board  of  Canada,  p.  276. 

^  This  chapter  was  -written  in  February  1 9 1 4. 


1 88  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

enough,  as  Peter  Jacobs  had  said,  when  I  came  into  contact 
with  the  Indian  peoples  of  Norway  House  and  Oxford,  I 
found  that  they  were  the  most  chivalrous,  the  most  hospitable, 
and  the  kindest,  as  well  as  the  most  obedient  men  I  ever  saw." 

The  writer  of  this  book  has  himself  lived  for  two  years  at 
the  Pas,  just  alongside  one  of  the  most  important  Indian 
reserves  of  New  Manitoba,  the  Pas  band,  mentioned  in  the 
passage  reproduced  from  Sir  John  Richardson's  book.  He 
has  found  them  well  dressed,  well  behaved,  intelligent,  thrifty, 
quite  capable  of  holding  their  own  against  the  white  men 
in  business  and  in  sport.  They  have  business  places  of  their 
own,  where  they  trade  in  all  sorts  of  merchandise,  have  their 
own  police,  their  own  churches,  schools,  etc.  Their  houses 
are  well  built,  have  as  good  an  appearance  as  those  of  their 
white  brothers,  and  in  many  a  case  are  more  tidy  than  those 
of  many  so-called  civilised  people. 

The  1912  report  of  Agent  Fred.  Fischer  will,  in  a  few  lines, 
give  a  better  idea  of  the  habits  and  general  behaviour  of  these 
people  than  I  could  in  several  pages. 

"  Pas  band. — Tribe  or  Nation. — These  Indians  are  of  the 
Swampy  Cree  tribe. 

"  Reserve. — The  reserve  is  situated  on  both  sides  of  the 
Saskatchewan  River  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  Carrot  River  as 
well,  in  the  North-West  Territories.  In  addition  the  band 
has  a  timber  berth  on  the  Carrot  River  and  a  small  fishing 
station  on  Clear  Water  Lake;  the  whole  making  a  total  of 
7610  acres.  Part  of  the  reserve  is  covered  with  small-sized 
timber.  There  is  also  a  good  deal  of  swamp-land  on  which 
considerable  hay  could  be  cut  in  certain  seasons. 

"  Population.— There  are  439  souls  in  this  band. 

"  Health  and  Sanitation. — ^The  health  of  this  band  has  been 
fair,  the  mortality  being  mostly  in  the  case  of  young  children 
and  can  be  attributed  in  a  great  measure  to  the  disregard  of 
the  Indians  to  advice  given  as  to  treatment  and  sanitary  rules. 
Garbage  and  refuse  is  gathered  up  and  burned  in  the  spring. 

"  Occupations. — Many  members  of  this  band  live  by  hunting 
fur-bearing  animals,  others  work  on  York  boats,  surveys, 
and  as  canoemen,  and  at  general  employment  with  the  dif- 


THE  NATIVE  POPULATION  189 

ferent  traders,  for  which  they  are  paid  good  wages.  The  fur 
hunt  has  been  good  and  the  prices  paid  were  also  good. 
Moose  have  been  killed  when  required.  Fishing  has  been 
greatly  neglected  for  the  fur  hunt,  but  those  living  on  the 
reserve  have  managed  to  catch  sufficient  for  their  needs. 

"  Buildings. — ^The  buildings  on  this  reserve  are  fair;  many 
houses  are  built  of  lumber  and  others  of  logs,  and  for  the  most 
part  have  shingle  roofs.  The  saw-mills  did  but  little  work 
last  summer.  The  stables  are  log  buildings,  small,  and  of 
poor  construction. 

"  Stock. — ^The  cattle  have  wintered  well  with  sufficient 
fodder. 

"  Characteristics  and  Progress. — ^The  Indians  of  this  band 
are  law-abiding,  and  have  made  a  good  living  owing  to  the 
high  prices  paid  for  furs,  but  this  is  entirely  dependent  on 
success  or  otherwise  of  the  fur  hunt,  they  are  so  proverbially 
improvident  that  if  it  happens  to  be  a  bad  season,  their  living 
is  of  a  poor  quality. 

"  Temperance  and  Morality. — So  far  the  Indians  of  this 
band  have  been  temperate  and  their  morals  fair,  but  I  am 
afraid  that  their  proximity  to  the  town  will  not  tend  to 
improve  them."  ^ 

What  Mr.  Fischer  has  written  of  the  Pas  Indians  may  be 
said  of  all  the  other  tribes  throughout  the  new  territory  of 
Manitoba,  with  very  few  and  slight  differences. 

S.  J.  Jackson,  Inspector  of  Indian  Agencies,  in  the  same 
report  passes  the  following  remarks : 

"  Nearly  all  the  Indians  of  this  agency  are  of  the  tribe 
known  as  Wood  Crees,  and  there  is  a  considerable  mixture  of 
white  blood.  They  are  of  a  good  type  and  compare  favour- 
ably with  the  half-breed  population  of  Manitoba,  both  in 
morals  and  as  workers.  Nine-tenths  of  them  belong  to  the 
Church  of  England,  the  remainder  being  Roman  Catholics 
and  pagan,  very  few  of  the  latter.  The  English  Church 
people  in  this  agency  are  looked  after  by  Bishop  Newnham, 
of  Prince  Albert,  and  he  has  a  clergyman  or  lay-reader  on 

^Annual  Report  of  the  Department  of  Indian  Affairs  for  the  year 
ended  March  31,  1912,  p.  107. 


I90  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

every  reserve.  We  may  expect  in  the  near  future  that  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  will  do  its  full  share  of  looking  after 
the  spiritual  wants  of  the  Indians  in  this  agency,  as  during 
the  summer  that  Church  was  preparing  an  establishment  for 
a  bishop  in  Le  Pas  town."  ^ 

It  may  be  noted  here  that  the  whole  of  the  original  townsite 
of  the  Pas  has  been  carved  out  of  part  of  the  Pas  band's  reserve, 
and  that  the  members  draw  from  this  source  yearly  a  sub- 
stantial revenue  represented  by  the  interest  on  the  capital 
invested. 

A  very  substantial  boarding-school  costing  $75,000  has 
been  erected  recently  at  Big  Eddy,  a  few  miles  up  the  river 
from  the  Pas. 

A  feature  of  the  public  meeting  held  on  February  16,  1912, 
at  the  Pas,  to  hear  Premier  Roblin,  was  the  address  which  had 
been  prepared  in  the  Cree  language  by  Chief  Antoine  Constant, 
and  read  from  the  English  translation.     It  was  as  follows : 

"  Honourable  Sir, — It  is  gratifying  for  me  to  have  the 
distinguished  honour  of  extending  to  you  and  your  party  the 
hearty  welcome  of  my  tribe,  along  with  that  of  the  residents 
of  Le  Pas.  I  trust  this  visit  may  be  one  to  be  followed  by 
many  other  such  visits.  I  trust  that  the  after-visits  may  be 
titled :  Our  Premier's  visits.  There  shall  be  many  important 
questions,  no  doubt,  which  shall  be  brought  to  your  notice, 
questions  affecting  the  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  North- West 
Territories.  We  are  aware  that  you  wish  to  meet  the  demands 
and  needs  of  the  Indian  hunter  and  traveller,  and  the  voyageur, 
with  which  class  chiefly  this  northern  country  is  inhabited. 
One  question  which  is  of  vital  importance  to  the  Indian  is  the 
law  governing  the  game  and  Nature's  products  of  the  country. 
I,  therefore,  as  chief,  come  forward  and  lay  before  your  house 

^Annual  Report  of  The  Department  of  Indian  Affairs  for  the  year 
ended  March  31,  191 2,  p.  r  17.  To  whoever  wishes  to  familiarise  himself 
with  what  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  has  accomplished  in  the  Hudson 
Bay  country  I  recommend  the  reading  of  Mgr.  Ovide  Charlebois's 
booklet  telling  of  his  first  pastoral  visits  to  the  Indian  missions.  It  will 
be  sent  post  paid  to  persons  who  will  send  25  cents  to  the  Bishop's  palace 
at  the  Pas.  It  has  been  published  for  the  benefit  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
missions  in  Keewatin. 


THE  NATIVE  POPULATION  191 

a  plea  of  leniency,  even  as  was  seen  necessary  by  the  Dominion 
Government,  so  that  the  Indian  may  be  able  to  continue  to 
live  independent  of  government  gratuities." 

The  result  of  this  business-like  letter,  as  Premier  Roblin 
was  pleased  to  call  it,  was  the  exception  which  was  made  in 
favour  of  the  new  territory  in  the  Game  Act,  for  the  periods 
to  shoot  certain  game  which  the  Indian  is  accustomed  to 
hunt  to  supply  himself  with  food. 


192  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE   NORTHERN   METROPOLIS  ^ 

"  It  is  my  opinion  that  in  a  very  short  time  the  tide  of  emigration 
will  flow  towards  those  parts  when  a  Province  will  probably  be  formed 
with  Pas  Mission  for  its  capital." — Six  Years  in  Canadian  North-West, 
by  Joan  d'Artigue,  Toronto,  1882,  p.  166. 

Because  of  its  position  as  south  terminus  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Railway,  the  Pas,  the  largest  centre  of  population  in  New 
Manitoba,  has,  in  less  than  four  years,  attained  a  world-wide 
fame,  and  much  speculation  is  entertained  as  to  its  future. 
Before  dealing  with  the  features  which,  in  the  opinion  of  many, 
are  destined  to  make  of  this  point  one  of  the  chief  western 
cities,  it  will  no  doubt  interest  the  reader  to  know  something 
of  its  past  history. 

In  a  preceding  chapter  it  has  been  related  how  Chevaher 
de  Laverendrye,  in  the  fall  of  1741,  had  ascended  the  River 
Saskatchewan  to  the  Forks.  By  these  Forks  some  authors 
have  understood  the  junction  of  the  two  Saskatchewans : 
this  is  undoubtedly  an  error,  as  it  is  further  learned  that  at 
these  Forks  the  Chevalier  established  a  fort  which  he  named 
"  Fort  Poskoyac."  By  referring  to  a  map  of  Canada  and  the 
north  part  of  Louisiana  published  in  1762  by  Thomas  Jefferys 
in  London,  near  Charing  Cross,  at  the  end  of  his  book.  Voyages 
from  Asia  to  America,  Poskoyac  (Indian  village)  appears  at 
the  present  location  of  the  Pas,  at  the  junction  point  of  the 
Saskatchewan  and  Pas  Rivers.  On  a  map  of  1776,  Bonne 
calls  the  place  Poscoyac  (Indian  Village),  and  in  1778  Thos. 
Bo  wen  shows  it  as  Indian  Village.  Laverendrye  himself,  on 
a  map  dating  as  far  back  as  1750,  gives  the  name  of  Poskaiao 

1  A  visitor  to  the  Pas  in  July  1912,  Robert  Shields,  the  well-known 
author  of  My  Travels,  gave  to  one  of  the  town's  citizens  the  following 
bit  of  advice:  "  Do  not  let  your  opportunity  pass.  Follow  the  example 
set  you  by  other  western  cities :  know  the  right  moment  when  to  profit 
by  the  chance  which  is  offered  you  of  taking  your  place  among  the 
world's  centres.  You  have  that  chance  now — grasp  it.  It  should  be 
easy  for  you  to  surpass  anything  which  has  been  done  in  city  building 
in  the  past,  being  given  the  natural  advantages  you  have  which  are 
lacking  to  other  points." 


George  Philip  &  Son,  L  ' 


The  London  Geographical  Institute. 


THE  NORTHERN  METROPOLIS         193 

to  the  Saskatchewan  River,  while  on  another,  a  few  years 
later,  he  calls  it  Bascoia.  When  Hendry  made  his  trip  from 
York  Factory  to  Southern  Alberta  in  1754-55,  he  spoke  of 
Basquia  as  a  French  fort  on  the  Saskatchewan  Rivei,  and  he 
stated  that  the  Indians  called  it  also  Baqua.  There  can  be 
no  doubt  that  all  these  names,  which  are  so  much  similar, 
varying  only  in  form  on  accoimt  of  the  native  pronunciation, 
stand  for  one  and  the  same  place,  the  Pas  of  to-day,  at  the 
forks  of  the  Saskatchewan  River  and  the  Pas  or  Pasquia  River. 

This  is  further  confirmed  by  Alexander  Henry  the  elder, 
who  writes:  "  On  the  first  October  (1775)  we  gained  the 
mouth  of  the  river  de  Bourbon,  Pasquayah  or  Saskatchewaine, 
(the  lower  part  of  the  Saskatchewaine  was  once  called  the 
river  de  Bourbon,  Pasquayah  is  the  name  of  an  upper  portion 
of  the  Saskatchewaine)  and  proceeded  to  ascend  its  stream." 
Then  a  little  farther  down:  "At  80  leagues  above  Fort  de 
Bourbon  (Cedar  Lake)  at  the  head  of  a  stream  which  falls  into 
the  Saskatchewaine,  and  into  which  we  had  turned,  we  found 
the  Pasquayah  village."  ^ 

In  Pierre  Margry's  short  memorandum  of  the  map  which 
represents    the    establishments    and    discoveries    made    by 

*  Travels  and  Adventures  in  Canada  and  the  Indian  Territories, 
between  the  years  1760  and  1776,  by  Alexander  Henry,  Fur  Trader, 
edited  by  James  Bain,  chief  librarian,  Toronto  Public  Library,  George 
N.  Morang  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  Toronto,  1901,  p.  255.  In  a  note  to  the  passage 
quoted  above  I  find  the  following  opinion  on  the  etymology  of  the  name 
of  the  Saskatchewan  River,  which,  I  may  say,  is  also  the  one  generally 
given  by  those  persons  familiar  with  the  Cree  language:  "  The  name  is 
derived  from  Kis-is-kat-ji-wan,  the  Cree  word  for  '  swift  flowing,'  and 
has  been  tortured  into  many  forms  by  early  travellers."  The  same 
note  refers  to  the  etymology  of  Pasquayah,  but  there  I  find  Mr.  Bain 
at  variance  with  the  native  linguists:  "  Pasquayah  is  derived  from 
Paskquaw,  a  prairie  or  desert,  as  its  course  is  through  the  great  plain, 
to  the  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The  Cree  name  was  long  confined 
to  the  upper  portion  of  the  river  (this  part  is  no  doubt  historically 
correct),  but  is  now  transferred,  though  altered  in  spelling  to  Pasquia, 
to  a  tributary  which  enters  the  Saskatchewan  from  the  right  near  the 
Pas  Mission,  85  miles  from  Lake  Winnipeg."  Pasquia,  that  many 
want  to  give  as  the  root  of  Pas,  is  probably  a  contraction  of  part  of 
WapusKCowatchi  [wapus,  strait;  ke-ow,  woods;  watchi,  hill:  a  pass 
through  woods  on  a  hill),  the  name  by  which  Sir  John  Richardson  in 
1848  heard  the  natives  call  the  Pas  Mountains,  near  which  the  Pas 
River  is  found  flowing  northward. 

N 


194  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Laverendrye  and  his  sons,  we  read:  "From  Fort  Bourbon 
to  the  river  Poskoyak  is  thirty  leagues.  There  is  a  fort  at  the 
head  of  this  river  which  is  abandoned  because  of  lack  of 
supplies  for  the  winter." 

This  should  be  more  than  sufficient  to  show  that  the  Pas 
is  the  Fort  Poskoyac  of  Laverendrye  and  therefore  dates  as 
far  back  as  1741. 

During  the  whole  of  the  French  regime  it  was  the  main 
fort  of  Laverendrye's  western  posts:  in  1750  Joseph  Claude 
Boucher  de  Niverville,  ninth  son  of  Pierre  Boucher  de  Grosbois, 
ex-Governor  of  Three  Rivers,  was  stationed  at  "  Riviere 
Poskoyac,"  and  from  there  on  May  29,  175 1,  sent  ten  men 
to  establish  Fort  la  Jonquiere  (Calgary).  It  is  believed  that 
he  died  at  the  Pas.  In  1754  the  Chevalier  St.  Luc  de  la  Come 
was  also  at  the  Pas,  and  it  was  during  his  stay  there  that  he 
explored  the  Carrot  River  Valley  and  cultivated  the  first 
field  of  grain  in  Western  Canada,  thereby  deserving  to  be 
called  its  first  agriculturist. 

After  the  cession  of  Canada  to  England  the  French  naturally 
withdrew  from  their  establishments  in  the  west,  and  for 
almost  half  a  century  only  the  Assiniboine  Indians  continued  to 
live  at  their  little  village.  Of  one  of  their  chiefs,  Chatique,  a 
somewhat  humorous  story  is  related  by  Alexander  Henry  the 
elder  at  the  time  of  his  passage  at  the  Pas  on  October  i,  1775.^ 

With  these  Indians  "  Louis  Primo,"  "  Old  Fran9ois  "  and 
a  number  of  French-Canadian  traders  continued  to  transact 
business  on  their  trips  up  and  down  the  Saskatchewan,  inter- 
fering to  such  an  extent  with  the  "  rights  "  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  in  partnership  with  or  independent  altogether 
of  "  the  Pedlars,"  as  the  English  would  call  the  vanguard  of 
the  future  North-West  Company,  that  Samuel  Hearne  was 
sent  in  1772  from  Fort  Churchill  to  build  a  competing  fort  at 
"  Basquia."  This  he  erected  instead  at  Cumberland  House, 
leaving  the  Indian  village  site  to  the  "  Nor '-Westers,"  who 
made  it  their  base  of  supplies  in  common  with  their  fort  on 
Cedar  Lake,  as  the  French  had  done  from  the  time  of  the  dis- 
covery of  the  Saskatchewan. 

1  This  episode  will  be  found  in  Henry's  own  words  in  Appendix  H. 


THE  NORTHERN  METROPOLIS         195 

The  whole  of  the  traffic  entering  from  the  east,  the  immense 
fur  field  extending  to  the  Pacific  in  the  west,  the  Arctic  Ocean 
in  the  north,  and  Hudson  Bay  in  the  north-east,  in  those 
days  passed  through  the  Pas.  The  geographical  position 
of  the  little  place  in  this  respect  struck  one  of  the  French- 
Canadian  guides  of  the  Montreal  Scotch  Merchants:  about 
1800,  Joseph  Constant,  who,  it  is  believed,  in  common  with  the 
greater  number  of  the  voyageurs  in  those  days,  originated 
from  Three  Rivers  and  had  married  a  Sauteux  woman  in  his 
peregrinations  throughout  the  land,  made  up  his  mind  to  settle 
with  the  Assiniboines  at  the  junction  of  the  Saskatchewan  and 
Pas  Rivers  and  try  his  hand  at  grain  growing  and  cattle  raising. 
for  the  purpose,  no  doubt,  of  supplying  flour  and  meat  to  the 
fur  traders  of  the  immense  country,  at  the  entrance  of  which  he 
found  himself.  That  he  met  with  considerable  success  there 
is  little  doubt,  for  when,  twenty  years  later,  the  unfortunate 
Captain  Sir  John  Franklin  went  through  the  Pas,  to  which  he 
gives  the  name  of  Basquiau  River,  he  noticed  cultivation  in 
progress,  and  this  was  still  being  kept  up  in  1833  at  the  time 
that  Sir  John  Richardson,  Dr.  Richard  King,  and  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  John  Henry  Lefroy  visited  the  district.  In  all 
probability,  in  those  days,  Joseph  Constant  was  being  helped 
in  his  worthy  attempt  by  the  two  sons  and  four  daughters  that 
his  Sauteux  wife  had  given  him,  and  their  children. 

That  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  which  by  that  time  had 

become  all-powerful,  encouraged  very  little  the  efforts  of 

Constant  and  his  offspring,  in  its  desire  that  it  should  retain 

the  country  solely  for  fur  trade  purposes,  is  evidenced  by  the 

facts  which  will  now  be  placed  before  the  reader.^ 

*  It  may  be  added  here  that  Sir  George  Simpson,  while  occupying 
the  position  of  Governor  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  was  strongly 
reprimanded  for  having  written  a  report  favourable  to  the  settlement 
of  the  country  in  which  he  made  mention  of  the  untold  wealth  along 
agricultural,  timber,  mineral,  and  other  lines  of  natural  resources.  He 
was  ordered  to  either  retract  the  statements  he  had  so  made,  or  to 
resign.  Hence  we  find  him  testifying  before  the  Select  Committee  of 
the  House  of  Commons  in  1857  in  the  following  manner:  "  I  do  not 
think  that  any  part  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  territories  is  well 
adapted  for  settlement."  (Questions  716  and  719.)  Let  those  who 
may  wonder  at  this  evident  desire  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  to 
withhold  all  knowledge  of  the  resources  of  the  country  from  the  public 


196  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Lefroy,  Sir  John  Richardson,  and  Dr. 
King  were  extensively  questioned  as  to  these  facts  by  the 
Select  Committee  of  the  British  House  of  Commons  in  1857, 
with  the  Right  Honourable  Henry  Labouchere  in  the  chair. 
The  committee  had  been  appointed  to  consider  the  state  of 
British  possessions  in  North  America,  and  ascertain  whether 
certain  portions  were  susceptible  of  being  cultivated.  With 
the  Red  River  settlement,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  Pas 
and  Cumberland  House  appear  to  have  been  the  only  points 
where  attempts  at  agriculture  worth  mentioning  had  been 
noticed  by  the  persons  examined.  Now  that  Western 
Canada  has  become  the  recognised  granary  of  the  world,  with 
Winnipeg  the  largest  grain  market  of  the  American  continent, 
it  is  rather  interesting  to  note  the  conclusions  arrived  at  by 
the  different  witnesses.^ 

Lieutenant  -  Colonel  Lefroy  was  examined  February  23, 
1857.  He  had  resided  eleven  years  in  North  America  and 
passed  nearly  two  years  in  the  territories  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  making  magnetical  observations  for  the  Royal 
Society.  He  had  visited  almost  the  entire  region ;  every  place 
of  any  consequence  on  the  east  side  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
In  his  opinion,  agricultural  settlement  could  make  but  very 
slender  progress  in  any  portion  of  that  region;  although  the 
Red  River  settlement  was  pretty  well  adapted  for  agricultural 
purposes,  it  did  not  bear  comparison  with  the  best  parts  of 
the  British  American  colonies,  and  at  all  events,  formed  but  a 

try  to  find  another  explanation  for  the  following  which  I  have  obtained 
from  an  ex-missionary  on  Hudson  Bay:  "  Not  many  years  ago,  since 
the  advent  of  the  railway  in  the  west,  and  the  establishment  of  flour 
mills  at  Lake  of  the  Woods  and  other  western  points,  possibly  to  this 
day  flour  would  be  shipped  from  Winnipeg  to  England  via  Montreal, 
re-shipped  from  England  to  Hudson  Bay,  and  hauled  and  portaged  on 
rivers  and  over  cataracts  to  points  only  a  short  distance  from  where  it 
had  been  originally  procured,  and  where  it  could  have  been  easily 
transported  by  lake  and  river.  And  for  what  reason?  No  doubt  to 
prevent  the  people  depending  on  the  Company  for  the  supply  of  food- 
stuff in  return  for  their  furs  to  discover  that  there  was  somewhere  near 
them  a  country  where  they  could  deal  with  competitors  of  the  Company. " 
*  What  follows  is  quoted  almost  verbatim  from  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Papers,  Select  Committee.  For  opinion  of  the  press,  etc. ,  on  this  inquiry, 
see  Appendix  E. 


THE  NORTHERN  METROPOLIS         197 

small  proportion  of  the  whole  region.  He  beUeved  the  best 
agricultural  country  he  had  seen  was  between  Rainy  Lake 
and  Lake  of  the  Woods.  The  nature  of  the  soil  on  a  very  large 
portion  of  the  region  was  primitive  in  geological  formation, 
being  almost  denuded  of  soil.  The  frosts  were  so  intense,  that 
over  a  very  large  portion  the  soil  was  permanently  frozen. 
The  seasons  were  so  short  and  so  uncertain,  that  crops  were 
liable  to  be  cut  off  by  unseasonable  frosts  at  periods  that  made 
it  almost  impossible  for  the  husbandmen  to  reckon  with  any 
certainty  on  a  return.^ 

He  had  been  once  up  and  once  down  the  Saskatchewan 
River.  There  was  undoubtedly  land  in  that  district  susceptible 
of  cultivation  and  fit  for  settlement ;  in  fact  it  was  along  that 
district  a  little  to  the  north  and  south  of  it  that  the  agricultural 
land  was  to  be  found.  Cultivation  had  actually  been  tried 
with  some  success  at  Fort  Cumberland;  wheat  had  grown 
there,  with  uncertainty  however,  from  the  causes  alluded  to, 
but  still  sufficiently  to  add  greatly  to  the  comforts  of  the 
residents  of  the  district.  Although  the  settlement  at  Fort 
Cumberland  was  not  made  for  any  purpose  of  colonisation, 
but  simply  as  a  tradmg  post,  there  was  a  small  attempt  at 
settlement  on  a  spot  immediately  adjoining  called  on  the  maps 
the  Basquiau  River,  but  commonly  called  in  the  country  the 
Pas ;  a  country  of  civilised  or  Christianised  Indians  had  been 
formed  for  the  last  ten  or  twelve  years,  and  they  had  succeeded, 
in  some  degree,  in  cultivating  the  ground.  They  grew  wheat, 
barley,  potatoes,  and  various  vegetables.  They  did  not  grow 
Indian  corn:-  he  did  not  believe  it  would  ripen,  except  by 
matter  of  accident,  in  that  region.     He  was  inclined  to  think 

'  Another  gentleman  who  was  examined,  the  Rt.  Hon.  E.  Ellice, 
M.P.,  had  the  following  to  say:  "  I  have  heard  that  evidence  has  been 
given  to  this  committee  that  the  Saskatchewan  is  a  country  capable 
of  settlement :  that  may  be  when  a  second  generation  from  this  are 
in  their  graves,  but  it  will  only  be  because  the  population  of  America 
becomes  so  dense  that  they  are  forced  into  situations  less  fit  for  settle- 
ment than  those  which  they  occupy  now."     (Question  5847.) 

'  As  a  matter  of  fact  Indian  corn  matures  very  well  at  the  Pas.  A 
year  after  this  testimony  was  given  Henrj-  Youle  Hind  wrote  about 
Rev.  Mr.  Budd's  garden:  "  Indian  corn,  from  seed  grown  on  the  spot 
last  year,  in  silk."      (See  supra,  page  177.) 


198  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

that  wheat  was  not  a  crop  that  could  be  depended  upon,  but 
wished  it  understood  that  he  was  not  speaking  with  much 
confidence.  Potatoes  could  be  depended  upon.  He  never 
heard  that  they  had  any  disease.  In  all  instances  in  which 
these  crops  grew  the  returns  were  exceedingly  small.^  They 
would  ripen,  but  the  crop  would  not  be  in  the  same  proportion 
as  in  more  genial  countries.  He  had  never  heard  of  oats 
being  grown,  but  they  would  no  doubt  grow.  The  winter 
would  last  between  October  and  April,  both  inclusive,  and  he 
had  not  noticed  any  amelioration  of  climate. 

There  was  always  a  class  of  adventurers  who  would  push 
to  the  most  remote  region  wherever  it  was,  but  if  they  were 
acquainted  with  the  relative  advantages  of  the  country 
between  the  Rainy  Lake  and  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  which 
he  thought  was  the  most  favourable  part  for  cultivation,  and 
the  unsettled  lands  of  Canada  then  open,  he  did  not  think  they 
would  choose  the  former.  He  believed  it  was  a  remarkable 
fact  that  wherever  limestone  existed,  cultivation  was  possible. ^ 

Sir  John  Richardson  was  examined  on  March  9,  1857.  O^ 
all  the  lower  part  of  the  Saskatchewan  River  below  Cumber- 
land House,  in  his  opinion,  there  were  only  two  or  three  points 
which  would  maintain  a  family  of  farmers ;  there  was  no  place 
which  he  saw  that  would  maintain  a  colony  of  any  size.  Three 
or  four  farmers  might  occupy  the  whole  of  the  points  that  were 
productive.  Mr.  Leith,'  who  had  left  a  sum  of  £10,000  for  the 
benefit  of  the  natives  of  that  district,  and  who  wished  to  collect 
them  into  a  village,  found  only  one  spot  which  was  available  for 

1  Compare  this  with  the  evidence  of  William  M'lnnes,  M.A.,  of  the 
Geographical  Survey,  before  the  Select  Committee  of  the  Canadian 
Senate,  1906-7:  "  Witness  saw  potatoes  that  were  grown  about  50 
miles  north  of  the  Pas.  There  were  quite  showy  potatoes,  great  large 
fellows  like  those  you  see  exhibited  in  fairs — tremendously  large,  grown 
on  practically  new  land,  and  they  had  a  very  large  crop  of  them." 
The  New  North-West,  p.  67. 

*  Limestone  abounds  in  New  Manitoba  along  the  Hudson  Bay 
Railway. 

^  Chief  factor  James  Leith.  According  to  Rev.  Geo.  Bryce,  Alac- 
Kenzie,  Selkirk,  Simpson,  page  224,  the  amount  left  by  Mr.  Leith 
was  £12,000.  His  relatives  opposed  the  bequest  but  the  courts  upheld 
it.  To  this  day  the  Bishopric  of  Rupert's  Land  receives  an  annuity 
of  ;^400  from  this  source. 


THE  NORTHERN  METROPOLIS         199 

that  purpose.  It  was  at  the  Pas,  some  distance  below  Fort 
Cumberland,  but  the  whole  of  that  country  about  the  Pas  was 
intersected  by  lakes,  and  in  the  spring  and  a  great  part  of  the 
summer  it  was  under  water;  it  was  very  level,  although  the 
limestone  came  near  the  surface,  the  country  was  easily 
flooded.  You  might  travel  almost  in  any  direction,  as  far  as 
your  view  extended,  with  canoes,  the  spring  floods  leaving 
only  a  few  elevated  alluvial  points,  upon  which  the  Indians 
had  built  their  huts. 

Here,  it  might  be  noted  that  the  conditions  of  which  Sir  John 
Richardson  speaks  are  far  from  being  frequent,  although  it  is 
true  to  say  that  the  water  is  very  abundant  in  the  Pas  district.^ 
Dr.  Richard  King,  whose  examination  we  are  on  the  point  to 
read,  a  few  years  before  had  written:  "  So  great  a  deposit 
of  mud  and  sand  has  taken  place  within  the  last  few  years 
(at  Cumberland  House)  that  the  fort  is  not  only  unapproach- 
able for  nearly  a  mile  in  boats  and  canoes,  but  a  small  river 
which  formerly  discharged  itself  into  the  lake  has  been  filled 
up.  The  various  changes  which  are  taking  place  in  the 
relative  proportions  of  land  and  water  are  here  so  rapid  and 
constant  that  they  may  be  observed  at  almost  every  step 
as  a  proof  of  the  gaining  of  the  land.  In  addition  to  Cumber- 
land House,  there  is  the  Cedar  Lake,  the  whole  of  which,  from 
the  immense  quantity  of  detritus  or  alluvion  annually  brought 
down  by  the  Saskatchewan,  must  in  process  of  time  be 
converted  into  a  forest."  ' 

Dr.  Richard  King,  M.D.,  was  examined  on  June  15,  1857. 
In  going  through  the  Hudson's  Bay  Territory,  his  position 
had  been  that  of  a  naturalist;  he  had  come  away  certainly 
with  the  impression  that  it  was  a  very  magnificent  country 
in  many  parts  of  it;    of  course  there  were  barren  portions, 

1  At  what  was  to  be  Winnipeg,  in  1826,  such  a  flood  occurred  that 
the  settlers  had  to  flee  to  the  nearest  hills.  The  water  in  the  Red 
River  and  the  Assiniboine  River  rose  40  feet  above  its  normal  summer 
level.  Cf.  Histoire  de  V Quest  Canadien  de  1822  4  1869,  par  I'abbe 
G.  Dugas,  p.  44. 

^Narrative  of  a  Journey  to  the  Shores  of  the  Arctic  Ocean  in  1833, 
1834  and  1835  under  the  command  of  Captain  Back,  R.N.,  by  Richard 
King,  M.R.C.S.,  etc.,  surgeon  and  naturalist  to  the  expedition,  p.  53 
et  seq. 


200  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

but  upon  the  whole,  up  to  the  Athabasca  Lake,  it  had  appeared 
to  him  to  be  capable  of  any  extent  of  cultivation.  Governor 
Williams  had  opened  Cumberland  House;  he  (King)  had 
found  implements  in  the  field  and  capacious  barns;  it  evi- 
dently had  been  placed  under  culture ;  and  he  had  been  told 
at  the  time  that  Governor  Williams  had  been  ordered  away 
for  his  partiality  in  this  respect.  He  had  never  heard  that 
the  agricultural  operations  had  failed,  and  that  the  barns  had 
been  built  in  anticipation  and  consequently  had  not  been 
used.  On  approaching  Cumberland  House,  he  had  found  a 
little  colony  established  of  about  thirty  persons :  a  Canadian, 
an  Englishman,  and  half-breeds ;  they  had  their  fields  divided 
out  into  farms,  and  other  things.  It  had  been  described  to 
him  by  his  men  that  there  was  a  little  colony  there.  He  had 
bought  a  calf  of  them ;  he  had  given  7s.  for  it ;  a  fat  bullock 
would  sell  for  12s.  It  had  appeared  to  him  in  going  over 
their  farms  that  they  were  very  highly  cultivated ;  there  were 
corn,  wheat,  and  barley  growing.  They  had  told  him  at  the 
time  that  they  were  ordered  off,  that  the  Company  would 
not  allow  them  to  go  on  cultivating;  that  it  was  against  the 
Company,  and  that  therefore  the  thing  was  to  be  broken  up. 
He  did  not  know  whether  it  had  been  broken  or  not.  He  did 
not  return  by  that  route, ^  otherwise  he  should  have  ascer- 
tained that  fact. 

Then  he  had  gone  to  Cumberland  House,  and  there  had 
found  that  they  were  really  borne  out  in  what  they  had  stated, 
for  he  had  found  that  the  barns  and  the  implements  were  in 
the  field,  and  that  the  cows  and  the  oxen  and  the  horses  and 
ev^er^^thing  had  gone  wild.  He  had  inquired  the  reason  of  it ; 
they  had  told  him  that  Governor  Williams  had  a  penchant  for 
farming,  and  that  the  Company  had  ordered  him  off  somewhere 
else;   that  was  what  he  had  been  told. 

He  had  always  understood  that  Governor  Williams  had 
done  this  farming  and  that  it  had  been  very  much  against 
the  approbation  of  the  Company;    that  he  had  got  hauled 

1  The  witness  gets  evidently  confused.  According  to  his  own  book 
he  returned  by  the  same  route,  and  it  was  then  that  the  members  of 
the  little  colony  complained  about  the  threat  of  the  order  to  move 
away.     King,  op.  cit.  p.  219. 


THE  NORTHERN  METROPOLIS        201 

over  the  coals  and  had  been  ordered  off;  that  was  what  he 
had  been  told  at  the  time.  It  had  appeared  to  him  to  be  the 
truth.  The  person  in  charge  of  Cumberland  House  had 
told  him ;  the  whole  of  his  party  of  seventeen  men  had  heard 
the  same  thing. 

At  that  time  Mr.  Leith  was  in  Canada :  his  bequest  for  the 
maintenance  of  cultivation  at  Cumberland  had  been  after  the 
witness's  time.  He  (King)  had  found  that  the  cultivation 
had  been  abandoned  at  that  time,  and  on  inquiry  he  had 
found  that  it  had  been  by  order  of  the  Company  that  it  had 
been  abandoned.  He  did  not  know  whether  the  cultivation 
had  been  on  the  part  of  the  Company.  He  had  always 
understood  that  Governor  Williams  had  done  it  himself.  He 
(Williams)  had  been  there  in  Sir  John  Franklin's  time.  There 
were  a  trading  post  and  a  settlement  there  at  that  time.  He 
had  been  told  that  it  was  not  because  it  was  not  profitable 
that  the  cultivation  had  been  given  up  by  those  who  had  been 
undertaking  it. 

One  of  these  httle  colonists  had  come  to  him,  and  thought 
that  he  was  a  government  officer,  and  could  interfere,  and  he 
(King)  had  said  that  he  had  no  power  to  prevent  the  Company 
from  driving  them  away  from  their  farms,  which  they  had 
been  cultivating  for  some  years.  There  were  about  thirty 
of  these  farms  in  number;  he  should  say  there  were  1500  or 
2000  acres  under  cultivation  on  the  approach  to  Cumberland 
House.  He  had  been  a  sportsman  from  a  boy  of  about  four 
or  five  years  of  age ;  he  had  been  over  a  good  many  acres ;  he 
would  not  bind  himself  down  to  the  quantity :  it  might  have 
been  looo,  1500,  or  2000  acres;  they  were  small  fields;  they 
were  not  large  parcels  of  fields;  they  extended  perhaps  to 
from  three  to  four  acres  in  each  field.  He  could  not  tell 
whether  the  cultivation  was  continuous;  he  had  merely 
landed  there  for  the  purpose  of  getting  some  provision  and 
had  bought  a  calf,  for  which  he  had  paid  ys. :  that  was  all  he 
knew;   they  had  come  and  pleaded  with  him. 

So  far  from  his  being  informed  that  the  cultivation  had 
been  prosecuted  by  the  Company  and  become  profitless,  and 
had  been  consequently  abandoned,  he  had  understood  that 


202  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

it  was  private  enterprise,  and  that  it  had  been  prosecuted 
with  very  great  success  to  his  own  positive  knowledge,  from 
having  seen  the  crop  growing,  and  that  a  complaint  was  made 
on  the  part  of  those  persons  who  were  so  engaged  in  agricul- 
ture, that  they  had  orders  to  quit,  and  to  cease  to  cultivate 
the  land.  They  had  also  said :  "  When  you  get  to  Cumberland 
House  you  will  have  the  evidence  there  that  Governor  Williams 
was  ordered  to  withdraw."  Everything  had  the  sign  of  it, 
as  these  colonists  had  told  him :  there  was  the  evidence  that 
a  sudden  termination  had  taken  place  to  the  agricultural 
pursuits  there.  Cultivation  did  exist  there  to  a  very  con- 
siderable extent.  He  had  concluded  that  it  was  entirely 
owing  to  an  objection  to  colonisation  of  the  country  that  it 
had  been  abandoned.  There  were  a  Canadian,  an  Englishman, 
and  half-breeds  at  the  little  colony.  He  could  not  tell  the 
names,  as  he  could  not  recollect  them.  If  they  would  allow 
him  to  refer  to  his  book  he  dared  say  he  could  give  them  to 
them.  They  would  find  the  entire  account  there,  which  had 
been  pubhshed  in  1836.  (At  this  point  Dr.  King  handed  the 
first  volume  of  his  book  to  one  of  the  members  of  the 
committee.)^ 

'  As  a  matter  of  fact,  King's  narrative  in  his  book  does  not  contain 
much  new  information  and  no  names.  At  page  52  one  reads:  "  From 
scenes  connected  with  such  melancholy  events  (Frobisher's  Point) 
our  attention  was  soon  after  diverted  by  the  cheerful  prospect  of  houses 
surrounded  by  a  quantity  of  land  in  a  highly-cultivated  state,  divided 
into  fields  of  growing  corn  and  rich  meadows.  Several  horses  and  oxen 
were  grazing  round  about,  and  pigs  and  fowls  were  distributed  in  every 
direction.  The  settlement  consisted  of  two  farms  belonging  to  a 
Canadian  and  an  Englishman,  who  were  endeavouring  to  gain  a  sub- 
sistence by  bartering  for  furs  with  the  Indians  and  selling  their  cattle, 
flour  and  butter  to  any  of  the  company's  men  who  might  be  disposed 
to  become  purchasers.  A  fat  bullock  sold  for  twelve  or  fourteen 
shillings,  and  flour  and  butter  for  a  mere  trifle.  June  30th  we  left  the 
little  colony,  for,  including  wives  and  children,  many  of  whom  had 
married  to  Indians  or  half-breeds,  they  were  in  number  about  thirty; 
and  on  the  following  day  we  arrived  at  Cumberland  House."  Then  at 
page  54:  "  The  horses  were  becoming  wild,  the  oxen  occasional  truants, 
the  cows,  although  they  went  '  to  the  milk-pail  '  twice  a  day,  gave 
by  no  means  a  very  clean  quantity  of  that  sober  and  nutritious  bever- 
age; and  a  solitary  hog  stood  every  chance  of  dying  without  issue." 
In  volume  ii.  page  219  (on  the  return  trip):  "  The  inhabitants  of  the 
little  colony  on  the  banks  of  the  Saskatchewan  River  were  also  affected 
with  a  mild  form  of  the  disease  (influenza)  which,  however,  was  not  the 


THE  NORTHERN  METROPOLIS         203 

He  was  quite  satisfied  that  there  had  been  at  least  1000 
acres  under  cultivation.  The  cultivation  was  quite  successful, 
the  wheat  was  looking  luxuriant.  There  were  also  potatoes, 
barley,  pigs,  cows,  and  horses.  He  did  not  know  in  what 
latitude  it  was :  he  had  always  restricted  himself  to  climate. 
He  would  suppose  that  it  was  a  degree  and  a  half  north  of 
Montreal:  about  90°  {sic)  of  north  latitude.  This  new  colony 
was  within  30  or  40  miles  in  a  direct  line  from  Cumberland 
House. 

At  this  point  a  member  of  the  committee  read  to  the  witness 
the  following  passage  from  his  book:  "  The  ground  about  the 
house  is  not  only  excellent,  but  fit  for  immediate  culture.  The 
house  (it  is  in  the  singular  number)  a  few  years  ago  was  in 
most  excellent  repair  and  exhibited  a  very  productive  farm, 
the  effect  of  the  continued  care  and  attention  of  Governor 
Williams,  who  had  a  great  partiality  for  agricultural  pursuits. 
A  vast  change,  however,  had  taken  place  at  the  time  of  their 
arrival.  The  house  was  all  but  falling  to  pieces;  the  imple- 
ments of  tillage  and  the  capacious  barns  were  silent  monu- 
ments of  waste."  He  could  not  say  whose  property  those 
implements  of  tillage  and  the  capacious  barns  had  been:  he 
had  never  asked  that;  they  were  not  the  property  of  the 
small  colonists,  who,  he  would  ask  the  committee,  should  be 
cut  off  entirely  from  the  house.  It  was  attributed  by  the 
parties  there  to  Governor  Williams  in  the  representation  which 
was  made  to  him,  that  he  had  done  it  of  his  own  will,  but  with 
what  resources  he  could  not  say.  The  same  state  was  not 
exhibited  in  the  little  colony  when  he  came  to  it :  it  was  only 
in  the  beginning;  that  was  a  most  flourishing  affair.  The 
little  colonists  had  complained  of  agriculture  having  been 
ordained  to  cease,  on  the  spot;  they  had  appealed  to  him  as 
a  government  officer,  thinking  that  he  could  relieve  them,  on 

only  source  of  trouble  to  them :  they  had  been  threatened  by  the  agents 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  with  an  order  for  their  imrnediate 
removal,  supposing  the  traffic  they  carried  on  with  the  Indians  injurious 
to  the  trade  at  Cumberland  House;  I  am,  however,  unwilling  to  believe 
the  report;  or  if  such  an  act  of  injustice  should  be  put  in  practice,  I 
do  hope  it  will  not  be  countenanced  by  the  leading  members  of  that 
company." 


204  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

their  own  little  colony.  He  could  not  explain  how  it  was 
that  the  little  colony  was  in  a  most  flourishing  state,  although 
they  had  been  ordered  off.  He  could  only  say  that  he  had 
found  this  little  colony  of  fields  in  the  highest  possible  state  of 
cultivation;  that  he  had  bought  a  calf  of  them;  and,  when 
he  was  going  away,  that  they  had  said :  "  Cannot  you  help  us  ? 
You  are  a  government  officer;  the  Company  have  ordered  us 
to  quit,  and  we  shall  be  ruined."  He  did  not  know  whether 
they  did  quit.  The  whole  farm  of  Governor  Williams,  which 
was  the  most  extensive  affair,  he  believed,  was  about  a  day's 
march.  The  looo  acres  were  all  together,  they  were  divided 
into  separate  fields,  and  each  man  had  his  particular  allot- 
ment in  the  little  colony,  which  at  the  time  he  was  there  was 
unquestionably  flourishing.  He  had  not  the  slightest  idea 
that  that  colony  had  been  ruined. 

To  preserve  to  the  statement  of  Dr.  King  all  its  piquancy, 
it  has  been  reported  here  verbatim,  the  only  change  being 
from  the  form  by  questions  and  answers  to  that  of  a 
narrative.^ 

That  the  httle  colony  was  at  the  Pas  is  verified  by  the  pre- 
vious depositions  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Lefroy  and  Sir  John 
Richardson,  as  well  as  by  the  following  item  from  John 
M'Lean's  notes:    "We  arrived  on  the  5th  of  August  (1833) 

^  To  those  who  may  marvel  at  the  complete  diflEerence  of  opinion 
evidently  expressed  in  the  deposition  of  Dr.  King  from  those  of  Colonel 
Lefroy  and  Sir  John  Richardson,  it  may  be  pointed  out  that  the  all- 
powerful  Hudson's  Bay  Company  had  no  doubt  circumvented  the  other 
witnesses  in  some  manner,  while  Dr.  King  had  resisted.  This  witness 
remembered  that  when  he  had  attempted  to  organise  an  expedition 
to  search  for  the  unfortunate  Captain  Franklin,  on  his  return  in  1835, 
he  had  met  with  strenuous  opposition  on  the  part  of  both  the  British 
Government  and  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  He  was  therefore  no 
friend  of  the  latter.  The  years  which  have  gone  by  since  he  so  courage- 
ously gave  his  evidence  all  in  favour  of  the  adaptability  of  the  North- 
West  Territory  to  settlement  have  proved  that  he  was  speaking  the 
truth.  This  does  not  prevent  the  impudent  autocratic  Company  from 
audaciously  publishing  such  things  as  the  following  in  our  days,  referring 
to  their  own  employees:  "  A  story  too  lengthy  to  print  here  would  be 
that  in  which  we  might  recount  the  virile  deeds  ashore  and  amain  of 
these  picturesquely  costumed,  indomitable  spirits,  in  their  efforts  to 
abet  the  footsteps  of  progress  and  civilisation,  in  primeval  Canada — 
then  a  '  collection  of  huts,' — and  to  build  an  empire  for  the  sovereiga 
power  across  the  sea." — The  Panama  Canal,  p.  7. 


THE  NORTHERN  METROPOLIS         205 

at  Riviere  du  Pas,  where  an  old  Canadian,  M.  Constant,  had 
fixed  his  abode,  who  appeared  to  have  an  abundance  of  the 
necessaries  of  hfe  and  a  large  family  of  half-Indians,  who 
seemed  to  claim  him  as  their  sire."  ^  This  at  the  same  time 
confirms  the  fact  that  the  Canadian  mentioned  by  Dr.  King 
was,  if  not  Joseph  Constant,  who  had  settled  on  the  point  at 
the  Pas  about  1800,  probably  his  son  Antoine,  the  father  of 
the  present  chief  of  the  Pas  Indians,  Antoine  Constant,  from 
whom  I  obtained  this  information,  as  also  that  the  first 
Antoine  married  a  Cree  woman,  of  whom  he  had  five  boys 
and  four  daughters,  while  he  himself  married  a  Cree  woman, 
who  bore  him  three  sons  and  six  daughters. 

Apparently  the  orders  of  the  Company  that  the  little 
colonists  should  remove  were  not,  entirely  at  least,  carried 
out,  as  on  August  17,  1858,  Professor  Henry  Youle  Hind,  on 
his  arrival  at  the  Pas  "situate  at  the  confluence  of  the  Sas- 
katchewan and  Basquia  River,"  speaks  of  the  impression  of 
"  getting  back  to  civilisation  after  all  our  wayfaring,  when, 
on  rounding  one  of  the  majestic  sweeps  of  the  river,  the  pretty 
white  church  "  (to  which  he  has  previously  referred  as  Christ 
Church,  a  neat  and  rather  imposing  edifice),  "  surrounded  by 
farmhouses  and  fields  of  waving  grain,  burst  unexpectedly 
upon  our  view."  ^  Very  little,  if  any,  grain  cultivation  is 
done  now  at  the  Pas,  except  by  a  few  white  farmers  on  a 
rather  experimental  basis  along  the  Pas  River.  It  seems 
reasonable  to  surmise  that  the  1000  to  2000  acres  of  cultivated 
land  in  the  days  of  Dr.  King  were  across  the  Pas  River  in  the 
beautiful  plain  extending  between  this  river  and  the  Carrot 
River  along  the  Saskatchewan,  where  natural  hay  is  now 
cut  year  after  year  on  the  lands  belonging  partly  to  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  the  Church  of  England,  and  the 
Pas  Indians. 

Christ  Church,  which  has  just  been  mentioned  in  the 
quotation  of  Dr.  Hind,  was  erected  in  the  winter  of  1847-48 
by  Rev.  J.  Hunter,  who  had  arrived  at  the  Pas  in  1844  to 

^  Notes  of  a  Twenty-Five  Years'  Service  in  the  Hudson  Bay  Territory, 
by  John  M'Lean  (London,  Richard  Bentley,  1849). 
*  Hind,  op.  cit.  p.  75. 


2o6  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

succeed  Rev,  Henry  Budd,  the  native  catechist  of  the  C.M.S., 
who  had  estabhshed  the  first  Anghcan  Mission  in  1840.  While 
to  the  modern  visitor  the  present  Church  of  England  is  often 
shown  as  containing  relics  of  the  unfortunate  Franklin 
expedition,  it  must  be  said  that  these  relics  have  a  rather 
remote  bearing  on  the  sad  fate  of  the  illustrious  navigator, 
except  correlatively. 

On  March  16,  1848,  instructions  were  issued  by  the  Admir- 
alty to  Sir  John  Richardson,  M.D.,  to  proceed  on  an  overland 
expedition  in  search  of  the  ships  Erebus  and  Terror  by  which 
Sir  John  Franklin  had  sailed  from  England  on  May  19,  1845, 
not  to  be  seen  again,  except  on  July  26,  1846,  in  latitude 
74°  48'  N.,  longitude  66°  13'  W.,  moored  to  an  iceberg,  and 
waiting  for  an  opportunity  of  crossing  to  Lancaster  Sound, 
220  miles  away.  From  the  port  of  landing,  New  York,  Sir 
John  Richardson  was  to  follow  the  usual  canoe  route  by 
Montreal,  Fort  William,  Rainy  Lake,  the  Lake  of  the  Woods, 
Lake  Winnipeg,  and  the  Saskatchewan  River,  and  to  overtake 
the  boats,  under  charge  of  Mr.  John  Bell,  chief  trader  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  who,  in  view  of  the  proposed  expedi- 
tion, had  been  sent  from  Norway  House  with  provisions  in 
the  fall  of  1847.  It  is  here  that  the  Christ  Church  incident 
took  place.  Mr.  Bell's  party  was  overtaken  by  winter  in 
Cedar  Lake:  the  boats  were  housed,  a  store-room  was  con- 
structed, and  a  number  of  the  men  and  such  women  and 
children  as  were  unable  to  travel  over  the  snow  were  left 
in  charge.  The  bulk  of  the  stranded  party  set  out  for 
Cumberland  House,  from  which  a  fishery  was  established  at 
Beaver  Lake  to  keep  up  the  stock  of  supplies  as  much  as 
possible.  '^   ■ 

Among  Mr.  Bell's  men  at  Cumberland  House  was  a  car- 
penter named  Mackay  ^  who,  while  his  companions  busied 
themselves  with  "  the  several  winter  employments  of  cutting 
firewood,  driving  sledges  with  meat  or  fish,  and  such  like 
occupations,"  ^  volunteered  to  help  Rev.  Mr.  Hunter,  who 
for  some  time  had  been  making  preparations  to  erect  a  church 
on  a  site  that  he  had  chosen  for  it,  "  on  the  bank  of  the  river 
*  Richardson,  op.  cit.  p.  280.  *  Richardson,  op.  cit.  p.  38. 


O    >. 

o  a 

►5  =^ 


THE  NORTHERN  METROPOLIS         207 

opposite  to  his  own  house."  ^  "  The  Indians  had  been  wilHng 
to  help,  and  contributed  labour  and  materials  to  a  considerable 
amount;  but,  although  they  had  learnt  enough  of  carpenter's 
work  to  build  their  own  log-houses,  there  was  no  one  com- 
petent to  undertake  the  erection  of  so  large  a  building  as  a 
church.  Mr.  Hunter  devoted  much  thought  and  time  and 
labour  to  the  subject,  but  all  would  have  been  of  no  avail 
had  it  not  been  for  one  of  those  providential  circumstances, 
which  so  often  occur,  but  which  we  are  so  slow  to  acknowledge. 

"  Some  of  the  English  sailors  attached  to  Sir  John  Richard- 
son's last  and,  alas!  fruitless  expedition,  had  been  sent 
forward  to  be  in  readiness  to  start  with  him,  and  were,  during 
the  winter  of  1847-48,  located  at  Cumberland  Fort,  a  day 
and  a  half's  distance  from  the  Pas.  One  of  the  men  was  a 
carpenter,  and  he  readily  and  kindly  gave  Mr.  Hunter  all  the 
assistance  in  his  power  while  he  remained  in  the  neighbour- 
hood. The  church  progressed  considerably  under  his  direc- 
tions, and  when  he  went  away,  Mr.  Hunter  was  able  to  procure 
another  carpenter  from  Norway  House. 

"  At  last  the  church  was  completed.  It  stands  in  a  neatly- 
fenced  burying-ground,  and  is  surrounded  by  several  Indian 
dwellings;  the  parsonage  stands  among  cottages  on  the 
opposite  bank,  and  the  whole  is  striking  and  picturesque."  ^ 

Christ  Church  was  consecrated  by  Bishop  Anderson,  first 
Bishop  of  Rupert's  Land,  in  the  course  of  his  first  pastoral 
visit  to  the  Pas  in  June  1850. 

'  The  Rainbow  in  the  North,  by  S.  Tucker  (London,  Nisbet,  1851), 
p.  191.  Those  of  my  readers  who  are  familiar  with  the  natural  features 
at  the  Pas  will  possibly  imagine  from  this  that  Mr.  Hunter's  house  was 
across  the  Saskatchewan  River,  where  the  Indian  village  is  to  be  found 
to-day,  on  the  north  bank.  It  was  not  so,  however.  Until  a  relatively 
recent  period.  Mission  Island  was  connected  with  the  mainland  above 
the  mouth  of  the  Pas  River,  and  the  ' '  slough  ' '  between  the  island  and 
the  English  and  Roman  Catholic  Missions  of  our  days  was  the  channel 
of  that  little  river,  which,  however,  little  by  little,  cut  another  channel 
for  itself  west  of  the  present  "  island  "  and  gradually  abandoned  the 
old  one.  Until  two  or  three  decades  ago  the  "  slough  "  was  full  of  the 
water  of  the  Pas  River  flowing  into  the  Saskatchewan  by  two  channels. 
Christ  Church  was  therefore  "  on  the  bank  of  the  (Pas)  river  opposite  " 
to  the  missionary's  house  on  Mission  Island. 

*  Tucker,  op.  cit.  p.  191. 


2o8  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

That  Mackay  and  his  successor  ^  were  very  good  carpenters 
is  evidenced  to  this  day  by  the  pews,  font,  pulpit,  reading- 
desk,  and  other  furniture  still  in  existence  in  the  new  Christ's 
Church  erected  in  1895  by  Rev.  John  Hines,  and  in  the 
presbytery  on  Mission  Island,  where  the  sundial  given  to  the 
mission  by  Colonel  Lefroy  may  also  be  seen. 

The  same  year  as  Rev.  Mr.  Budd  established  the  first 
Anglican  mission  at  the  Pas,  known  successively  as  Cumber- 
land-Pas, Devon,  and  Pas  Mission,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany established  a  branch  of  their  Cimiberland  House  post 
on  the  point  between  the  Saskatchewan  and  Pas  Rivers,  which 
they  had  previously  bought  from  Chief  Constant.  About 
1895  a  Post  Office  was  established  which  was  called  The  Pas. 
With  the  advent  of  the  Canadian  Northern  Railway  in  1908, 
who  named  their  station  Le  Pas,  the  Postmaster-General  also 
decided  in  the  spring  of  1911  to  adopt  this  form:  the  two 
names  are  now  official.  The  town  has  received  its  incorpora- 
tion under  the  name  of  The  Pas.  Both  forms  are  used  in 
official  documents :  the  Geographical  Board  of  Canada  employs 
the  form  Pas.  It  seems  impossible  to  state  in  a  certain  manner 
how  and  when  the  name  originated.  All  sorts  of  fanciful 
explanations  have  been  given,  none  of  which,  outside  of  the 
French  etymology,  have  the  least  appearance  of  genuineness. 
In  my  mind,  the  best  explanation  ^  which  has  been  given  for 
the  adoption  of  the  name  "  The  Pas  "  is  that,  being  composed 
of  an  English  word  and  a  French  word,  both  containing  the 
same  number  of  letters,  it  represents  the  Entente  cordiale 
existing  between  the  governments  of  Great  Britain  and 
France  ^  which  has  culminated  in  the  holy  and  powerful 
alliance  destined  to  destroy  militarism  a  outrance  in  Europe. 

^  Some  call  him  James  M'Laren,  while  they  give  to  Mackay  the  Chris- 
tian name  of  Robert.  Strange  enough,  Sir  John  Richardson  says  nothing 
of  the  building  of  ChristChurch,  although  he  mentions  the  Pas  Mountains, 
which  he  says  the  Indians  call  Wapuskeowatchi  and  the  Canadians  Bas- 
quiau  {op.  cit.  p.  50).  Mackay  is  mentionedat  page  280  among  the  sappers 
and  miners  as  a  carpenter  by  trade  who  was  employed  with  another 
carpenter,  named  Brodie,  to  make  tables  and  chairs  at  Fort  Confidence. 

^  Given  by  Rex.  G.  White,  staff  correspondent  to  the  Minneapolis 
Daily  News,  fall  of  191 2. 

^  For  article  on  name  of  town  published  in  the  Manitoba  Free  Press 
in  the  summer  of  191 3,  see  Appendix  F. 


THE  NORTHERN  METROPOLIS        209 
CHAPTER  XXI 

THE   NORTHERN   METROPOLIS — continued 

It  is  pretty  generally  admitted  that  if  the  Hudson  Bay  route 
is  a  success,  the  Pas  should  become  a  very  large  city,  because 
of  its  geographical  position  at  the  entrance  from  the  north 
to  the  immense  territory  comprised  in  that  portion  of  Western 
Canada,  spreading  out  from  it  in  fan-hke  shape.  It  is  pointed 
out  that  for  a  hundred  miles  or  so,  east  and  west,  it  is  the  only 
spot  where  the  Saskatchewan  River  can  be  crossed  at  a 
relatively  small  expense  or  at  all;  it  is  argued  that  it  is  in  the 
same  position  to  Fort  Churchill  and  Port  Nelson  on  Hudson 
Bay  as  Winnipeg  is  to  Fort  William  and  Port  Arthur  on  the 
Great  Lakes.  While  the  country  between  the  Pas  and  the 
bay  is  replete  with  natural  resources  of  every  kind,  which 
sooner  or  later  will  require  development,  it  is  explained  that 
the  Hudson  Bay  Railway,  with  possibly  a  few  feeders  branch- 
ing out  into  the  interior,  will  long  suffice  to  take  care  of  the 
traffic  which  will  offer,  and  that  in  case  the  new  territory 
develops  beyond  present  expectations,  the  Pas  will  still  be 
the  pivotal  point  about  which  all  interest  will  continue  to 
gather. 

Prettily  located  on  the  south  shore  of  the  Main  Saskatchewan 
River,  at  the  point  where  this  beautiful  stream,  after  receiving 
the  waters  of  the  Carrot  River  which  have  made  it  expand  to 
the  size  of  a  majestic  lake  about  three  miles  long  and  a  mile 
wide,  suddenly  contracts  itself  to  a  strait  ^  over  which  the 

1  In  French  a  "  pas."  Otto  Klotz's  report  of  1885  at  page  17  fif.  of 
Tyrrell's  and  Bowling's  reports  op.  cit.  says:  "  The  action  of  the  water 
in  the  course  of  time  is  well  illustrated  here.  Forty  years  ago  a  lad 
could  throw  a  stone  from  the  banks  of  the  parsonage  across  the  river 
where  it  is  now  14  chains  wide.  Within  a  few  years  an  island  upon 
which  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  powder  magazine  was  kept,  has 
disappeared.  The  banks  where  formerly  houses  of  the  company  stood 
(in  front  of  the  present  post)  have  been  washed  away.  The  same  fate 
is  rapidly  approaching  the  parsonage  close  by."  If  Mr.  Klotz  were 
to  come  back,  he  would  find  not  only  that  it  has  been  found  necessary 

O 


210  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

850  feet  bridge  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  has  been  con- 
structed, the  Pas  occupies  no  doubt  one  of  the  best  townsites 
that  may  be  imagined.  The  evergreen,  the  poplar,  the 
Cottonwood  abound,  giving  the  surroundings  an  aspect  of 
freshness  which  is  nowhere  else  equalled.  The  ground  is 
uniformly  level,  sloping  gently  towards  the  River  Saskatchewan 
on  the  north  side,  Pasquia  Lake  and  River  on  the  west  side, 
and  Regina  Lake  on  the  east  side.  The  soil,  being  still  in  a 
primitive  stage,  is  covered  with  a  heavy  carpet  of  moss,  varying 
in  depth  from  a  few  inches  to  several  feet.  Centuries  of 
decayed  vegetation  have  accumulated,  retaining  the  wet  of 
the  snows  and  the  rains  which  cannot  drain  away,  but  perco- 
lates with  considerable  difficulty  through  to  the  heavy  clay 
subsoil  often  covered  with  extensive  beds  of  limestone.  The 
least  ditch,  however,  causes  the  moss  to  dry  and  disappear. 
It  takes  little  labour  and  expense  to  lay  out  streets  and 
boulevards. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  Pas  have  an  unbounded  confideace 
in  the  future  of  their  town,  and  are  preparing  for  the  great 
things  which  they  believe  the  future  has  in  store  for  them. 
Both  the  Town  Council  ^  and  Board  of  Trade  ^  are  composed  of 
progressive  men  who  spare  neither  time  nor  money  to  make 
known  to  the  world  advantageous  features  of  their  place, 
either  by  the  building  of  permanent  public  improvements  of 
the  first  order  or  sane  publicity  from  which  exaggeration  is 
jealously  banished. 

They  say  that  once  the  Hudson  Bay  route  is  fully  in  opera- 
tion, the  grain  of  Western  Canada  will  all,  or  almost  all,  pass 

to  move  the  parsonage,  but  that  the  trees,  which  no  doubt  had  been 
-planted  at  the  time  it  had  been  erected,  are  fast  falling  into  the  waters 
of  the  River  Saskatchewan.  Chas.  R.  Tuttle  in  Our  North  Land,  1885, 
also  writes:  "  Forty  years  ago  a  lad  could  throw  a  stone  across  the  river 
at  the  Pas,  now  it  is  900  feet  wide." 

*  The  first  Municipal  Council  of  the  town  of  the  Pas  was  elected 
on  June  20,  1912,  and  consisted  of  H.  Finger  (Mayor),  W.  Carriere, 
J.  E.  Rusk,  J.  F.  Hogan,  C.  E.  Senkler,  W.  H.  Bunting,  and  J.  Fleming. 

'The  Pas  Board  of  Trade  was  formed  on  February  5,  191 3,  with 
A.  H.  deTremaudan  (President),  J.  H.  Gordon  (Vice-President),  H.  H. 
Elliott  (Secretary-Treasurer),  G.  Halcrow,  sen.,  G.  N.  Taylor,  J.  E. 
Rusk,  S.  V.  Davies,  J.  P.  Jacobsen,  T.  S.  Leitch,  J.  Fleming,  and  Captain 
H.  H.  Ross  (Councillors). 


THE  NORTHERN  METROPOLIS        211 


through  their  town  because  a  saving  of  about  1000  miles  will 
be  available  to  the  farmers,  who  will  be  prompt  to  understand 
what  that  will  mean  to  their  bank-book.  Taking  Saskatoon 
as  an  example,  they  show  the  following  figures : 

Land    Water  Total 
Route  by  the  Great  Lakes  miles     miles    miles 

Saskatoon  to  Winnipeg  ....       467 

Winnipeg  to  Port  Arthur         ....       427 
Port  Arthur  to  Sault  Ste.  Marie 
Sault  Ste.  Marie  to  Sarnia 
Sarnia  to  Montreal  (estimated) 
Montreal  to  Liverpool,  2760  miles  by  Belle  Isle, 
3007  miles  by  south  route,  average  distance 

Total  land  mileage    .... 
Total  water  mileage 


595 


237 
234 


2888 


1489 


Total  mileage  . 

Hudson  Bay  Route 
Saskatoon  to  the  Pas 
Pas  to  Port  Nelson 
Port  Nelson  to  Liverpool 

Total  land  mileage    . 
Total  water  mileage  . 

Total  mileage    . 


287 
410 


697 


3359 
1489 


2966 


2966 
697 


4848 


3663 

Difference  .....  1185 

Even  if  the  route  by  the  strait  is  to  be  considered  imprac- 
ticable, the  people  of  the  Pas  say  that  their  town  is  on  the 
only  route  which  may  be  used  alternately  with  that  of  the 
Great  Lakes,  and  as  proof  their  figures  are  the  following: 


Route  by  the  Great  Lakes 
Saskatoon  to  Winnipeg 
Winnipeg  to  Port  Arthur 
Port  Arthur  to  Sault  Ste.  Marie 
Sault  Ste.  Marie  to  Sarnia 
Sarnia  to  Montreal  (estimated) 


Land 

miles 

467 

427 

595 
1489 


Water  Total 
miles    miles 


237 
234 


471 
1489 
i960 


Land 
miles 

Water 
miles 

Total 

miles 

) 

.       287 
410 

500 

635 

i960 

1 197 

63s 
1197 

1832 

128 

212  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


Route  by  the  Great  Lakes  {from  previous  page 
Saskatoon  to  the  Pas      .... 
Pas  to  Port  Nelson         .... 
Port  Nelson  to  Port  Nottaway 
Port  Nottaway  to  Montreal  (estimated)    . 


A  saving  of  miles  over  the  lake  route 

They  go  further:  they  smile  when  they  are  at  times  told 
that  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  is  still  in  the  experimental 
stage,  and  that  it  is  not  at  all  sure  that  it  will  ever  be  com- 
pleted, or,  if  completed,  whether  it  will  ever  be  of  any  utility 
as  a  grain-carrying  route:  for  they  say  they  have  forests  and 
mines;  they  have  lakes  and  rivers  full  of  fish  and  handy  for 
going  from  place  to  place  and  distributing  the  goods  of  the  older 
provinces  and  the  old  world  to  the  remote  posts  of  the  north. 
They  show  the  visitors  with  pride  over  the  magnificent  sawmill 
of  the  Finger  Lumber  Company,  about  which  the  reader  of 
these  pages  has  read  something  in  another  chapter ;  they  take 
them  to  the  primitive  docks  and  wharves  on  the  Pas  River  and 
let  them  examine  the  four  steamboats  of  the  Ross  Navigation 
Company ;  they  introduce  them  to  the  managers  of  the  different 
stores  of  their  fast-growing  town  and  obtain  for  them  the 
opportunity  of  sizing  up  the  wealth  contained  in  the  immense 
packs  of  valuable  furs  piled  in  the  warehouses;  they  show 
them,  at  a  distance  of  a  few  hundred  yards,  the  beautiful 
plains  which  extend  south-westerly  and  assure  them  that  at 
the  Pas  begins  a  mixed  farming  territory  which  is  not  dupli- 
cated in  the  Dominion  and  in  which  settlers  are  only  com- 
mencing to  settle  from  the  Melfort  end.  And  they  add :  "  We 
are  not  at  all  depending  on  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  to  make 
a  city  of  the  Pas.  The  natural  resources  of  the  country  are 
numerous  and  big  enough  to  take  care  of  this.  Under  ordinary 
circumstances,  and  independently  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Railway  (in  which,  by  the  way,  we  believe  because  we  know, 
being  on  the   spot),   we   have   here  the  making  of  a  city 


THE  NORTHERN  METROPOLIS        213 

and  we  are  getting  ready  for  it."  And  to  see  the  large  number 
of  substantial  buildings  of  all  kinds  which  are  everywhere 
erected,  it  is  evident,  even  to  the  casual  observer,  that  the 
people  of  the  Pas  are  building  with  the  idea  that  their  town 
will  soon  be  a  city,  and  a  large  city  at  that.  They  have  the 
spirit  that  does  things,  that  moves  mountains,  if  need  be. 
Invigorated  by  the  hardy  climate  of  the  north,  they  laugh  at 
cold  winter  blisters  and  scorching  summer  burns,  and  keep 
on  going  ahead  doing  things,  in  the  behef  that  they  have 
struck  the  one  spot  on  earth  where  there  is  a  future  for  the 
fellow  with  a  determined  will:  being  strong  believers,  they 
will  make  what  they  desire  perforce  come  true.  At  least 
they  have  fully  decided  to  give  the  project  a  good  manly  trial. 
And  why  should  they  fail? 

Why  should  they  fail,  when  in  days  that  knew  not  the  many 
things  that  this  age  is  simply  playing  with  a  man  did  not 
hesitate  to  establish  a  Petrograd  in  the  last  spot  in  his  king- 
dom where  any  one  else  with  less  vim  would  have  dreamt 
of  throwing  the  foundations  of  an  empire's  capital?  Petro- 
grad, built  on  a  marsh,  is  exactly  3°  further  north  than 
Port  Nelson,  and  3°  further  south  than  the  northerly  part  of 
Hudson  Strait.  Its  average  temperature  is  40°  above;  yet 
it  is  the  capital  of  all  the  Russias.  It  has  a  population 
of  almost  2,000,000  inhabitants,  and  a  commerce  of  almost 
100,000,000  rubles  in  grain  and  other  natural  products.  Thir- 
teen thousand  boats,  large  and  small,  enter  its  port,  Cron- 
stadt,  16  miles  distant,  laden  with  produce  of  field  and  forest, 
although  the  navigation  of  the  northern  portion  of  the  Baltic 
Sea,  on  which  it  is  situated,  is  obstructed  by  ice  four  months 
in  the  year  and  descending  ice  from  Lake  Ladoga  forces  the 
authorities  of  the  city  to  remove  most  of  the  bridges  twice  a 
year.  Of  course  it  was  built  by  Peter  the  Great,  a  man  who 
was  not  to  be  stopped  by  marshy  bogs,  ice,  and  climate, 
when  he  saw  his  opportunity  to  create  one  of  the  cities  of 
the  world! 

Why  should  they  fail  when  they  have  the  examples  of  the 
farms  of  HoUand  conquered  from  the  sea,  of  a  Chicago  firmly 
built  on  marsh  and  lake,  of  part  of  a  Boston  also  built  on  a 


214  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

marsh,  of  a  Venice,  once  queen  of  the  commercial  world,  erected 
on  piles  in  the  sea?  All  they  have  to  do  is  to  look  around 
them,  and  they  will  find  that  their  task  is  indeed  easy,  chiefly 
because  they  have  behind  them,  to  help  them  reach  the  aim 
they  have  set  themselves  to  attain,  a  host  of  friends  in  the 
rest  of  the  province  of  which  their  vigorous  little  youngster 
of  a  town  is  quite  naturally  the  pet  child,  being  the  first-born 
of  the  union  between  the  old  province  and  the  new  territory. 
Nothing  is  being  spared  to  lead  the  fast-growing  offspring  in 
the  right  path  and  remove  from  its  way  the  tumbling-stones 
which  might  impede  its  progress. 

True  to  its  promise  of  generous  assistance  expressed  through 
its  First  Minister  on  February  i6, 1912,  the  provincial  govern- 
ment as  soon  as  the  town  has  been  organised  municipally, 
has  made  a  cash  grant  of  $100,000,  and  the  citizens  have 
added  to  this,  besides  their  taxes,  $250,000  secured  by  thirty 
years'  debentures.  A  system  of  waterworks  and  sewers  is 
being  constructed  and  electric  light  is  installed;  telephones 
will  also  soon  be  in  operation.  The  town  is  fast  passing  from 
the  stage  of  a  small  village  in  which  it  was  in  191 1  to  that 
of  the  city  it  will  be  a  few  years  hence;  all  federal  and 
provincial  offices  are  being  located  at  the  Pas,  including 
customs.  Dominion  land  office,  court  and  jail.  Royal  North- 
western Mounted  Police  headquarters,  etc. 

The  population,  including  the  Indians  across  the  river,  is 
close  to  2000,  1453  of  whom,  according  to  the  census  taken  by 
the  Board  of  Trade  in  August  1913,  are  of  the  Caucasian  race. 
Prior  to  1909  the  present  Pas  was  an  Indian  reservation,  used 
by  the  natives  from  the  earliest  known  times,  as  has  been  seen 
in  the  preceding  chapter.  In  the  days  of  Laverendrye  it  was 
"the  rendezvous,  every  spring,  of  the  Crees  from  the  mountains, 
prairies,  and  rivers,  to  debate  what  they  shall  do,  either  to 
go  to  the  French  or  the  English.^    There  he  (Laverendrye) 

1  These  terms,  in  a  footnote  to  the  report  of  the  trials  of  Charles 
de  Reinhard  and  Archibald  M'Lellan  for  murder,  at  a  court  of  "  Oyer 
and  Terminer  "  held  at  Quebec,  May  18 18,  are  explained  to  have  the 
following  meanings:  "  English,  applied  exclusively  to  the  servants  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  whether  English,  French,  or  half-breeds, 
in  contradistinction  to  the  fur  traders  from  Canada,  who  are  called 


THE  NORTHERN  METROPOLIS        215 

happened  to  be  at  the  meeting  of  all  the  Crees  in  the  spring  of 
1850."  ^  In  1909  the  Dominion  Government,  having  pre- 
viously obtained  a  surrender  from  the  Indians  and  removed 
them  to  the  north  bank  of  the  river,  laid  out  the  townsite  of 
the  Pas  and  placed  it  upon  the  market.  The  whole  white 
population  did  not  then  exceed  six  families.^  From  nothing 
in  1909  the  assessment  has  passed  to  $2,012,125.00  in  1913.^ 

Being  in  its  infancy,  it  cannot  be  reasonably  expected  to  find 
the  Pas,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  in  that  direction  of  the  town 
fathers,  as  modern  and  thoroughly  up-to-date  as  the  long- 
estabhshed  city  of  to-day;  but  it  is  getting  to  that  enviable 
stage  as  speedily  as  it  is  humanly  possible  to  make  it  so; 
sidewalks  are  being  laid,  streets  are  being  graded,  modern 
improvements  are  being  installed  as  rapidly  as  time  and 
money  render  it  possible.  In  a  few  years,  nay  a  few  months, 
all  the  advantages  and  commodities  of  modern  cities  will  be 
found  in  the  Pas.  Add  to  these  the  numerous  opportunities 
of  summer  excursions,  on  the  numberless  lakes  and  rivers  sur- 
rounding the  town  in  every  direction,  to  the  delightful  groves 
of  trees  and  bushes  on  islands  or  at  other  special  spots  of 
interest  adjacent;  imagine  the  hunting  or  fishing  trips  in 
which  all  kinds  of  game  and  fish,  large  or  small,  can  be  secured, 
almost  without  attention,  in  a  wonderfully  short  time,  and 
you  will  soon  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Pas  holds 
one  of  those  unique  positions  which  are  very  seldom  found. 

Ever  since  the  question  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  has 
been  on  the  tapis,  in  a  practical  way,  the  different  railway 
companies  operating  in  Western  Canada  have  pushed  steadily 
northward  and  secured  charters  with  a  view  to  connect  their 
systems  with  this  great  national  route  of  the  future.  Besides 
the  Canadian  Pacific,  Canadian  Northern,  and  Grand  Trunk 
Pacific,  the  Great  Northern,  with  its  Brandon  extension  built 

Francois,  of  whatever  country  or  language  they  may  be."  There  also 
I  find  that  the  French  term  "  Metis,"  primitively  "  Metif,"  is  derived 
from  the  Spanish  "  Mestice,"  and  was  introduced  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  continent  by  the  early  plain  riders  in  their  travels  between 
Mexico  and  Canada. 

1  Pierre  Margry,  op.  cit. 

*  The  Pas,  the  Gateway  to  Hudson  Bay,  p.  i8.  '  Ibid.,  p.  19. 


2i6  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

as  early  as  1906  under  the  charter  of  the  Brandon,  Saskatche- 
wan and  Hudson  Bay  Railway,  as  well  as  several  companies  in 
the  incubation  state,  have  had  the  Pas  as  an  objective  point : 
the  announcements  of  projected  lines  during  the  last  few  years 
have  been  so  numerous  that  the  drawing  of  them  all  would 
resemble  a  cat-o'-nine-tails,  with  the  tails  spread  out  in  all 
directions  from  the  Pas,  and  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  as  the 
handle,  the  latter  lowered  to  the  right  at  an  angle  of  about  40°. 

Quite  naturally,  real  estate  men  have  been  prompt  to 
recognise  the  important  position  of  the  Pas;  following  the 
admission  of  the  town  and  territory  into  Manitoba,  sales  have 
been  numerous  at  steadily  advancing  prices,  until  at  present 
centrally  located  lots  which  were  bought  originally  for  $100 
or  $200  in  1909  are  fetching  as  high  as  $10,000,  while  a  number 
of  acres  outside  the  original  townsite  have  been  subdivided, 
placed  on  the  market,  and  sold  at  prices  varying  between  $50 
and  $1000  a  lot.  In  view  of  the  fact,  however,  that  the  limits 
of  the  incorporated  town  contain  only  about  750  acres  and 
that  a  large  population  will  undoubtedly  settle  at  the  south 
terminus  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  with  the  opening  of  the 
road  to  traffic,  and  the  connecting  of  the  line  with  other  rail- 
ways, the  real  estate  situation  may  be  considered  consider- 
ably more  favourable  than  at  many  western  points  which  have 
not  the  prospects  of  development  that  the  Pas  possesses.  The 
authorities,  however,  will  be  well  advised,  for  some  time  to 
come,  to  discourage  the  placing  on  the  market  of  further 
subdivisions,  so  as  to  keep  away  from  the  exaggerated  and 
unhealthy  position  of  boom  towns,  unfortunately  so  common 
once  in  Western  Canada. 

I  shall  conclude  with  the  following  quotation  from  the 
pamphlet  recently  published  by  the  Board  of  Trade  of  the  Pas, 
under  the  able  supervision  of  Dr.  H.  H.  Elliott,  its  enthu- 
siastic yet  evidently  all-conservative  secretary : 

"The  Kernel  of  the  Nut 

"  The  Pas  has  the  location.  It  is  the  '  gateway '  to  the 
Northland.     It  is  at  the  junction  of  railway  and  waterway 


THE  NORTHERN  METROPOLIS        217 

communication.  It  is  the  terminus  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Railway,  and  will  be  the  terminus  of  other  railways,  which  must 
build  to  the  Pas  to  reach  the  Hudson  Bay  route.  It  is  the 
coming  railway  and  commercial  centre  of  the  west. 

"  The  Dominion  Government  chose  the  townsite  and  placed 
it  on  the  market  and  is  bound  to  see  that  the  Pas '  makes  good.' 
The  government  is  keeping  faith,  as  is  evidenced  by  the 
location  of  Hudson  Bay  Railway  terminals,  the  gift  of  lands 
for  pubhc  purposes,  and  the  appropriation  of  $30,000  for  a 
wharf. 

"  The  Provincial  Government  is  determined  that  New 
Manitoba  shall  live  up  to  the  prophecies  made  by  those  who 
fought  for  its  addition  to  the  province.  The  government  has 
faith  in  the  Pas,  and  is  demonstrating  its  faith  by  good  works, 
e.g.  a  cash  grant  of  $100,000.00,  bonds  to  be  guaranteed  for 
$150,000.00,^  and  the  construction  of  a  court  house  and  jail, 
site  and  building  to  cost  $75,000.00. 

"  Financial  experts  recognise  the  strategic  position  of  the 
Pas,  and  are  investing  in  real  estate  and  building  up  the  town. 
A  company  of  English  capitalists  own  twenty  lots  in  the 
Pas  and  have  erected  the  Royal  North- West  Mounted  Police 
barracks,  a  laundry,  a  business  block  of  four  stores,  four 
apartment  blocks  (comprising  sixteen  stores  and  sixty -three 
rooms),  and  fifteen  residences.  This  company  purpose  erect- 
ing a  large  brick  hotel,  one  hundred  feet  square,  to  contain 
eighty  rooms,  besides  rotunda,  offices,  bar-room,  sample 
rooms,  dining-room,  and  kitchen.  The  estimated  cost  is 
$75,000.00. 

"  The  citizens  of  the  Pas  know  that  they  have  a  '  good 
thing  '  and  are  '  pushing  it  along,'  as  is  evidenced  by  the  con- 
struction of  public  works  and  by  private  enterprise. 

"  The  outside  world  is  beginning  to  see  the  Pas  as  it  is. 
Inquiries  are  coming  in  from  all  parts  of  Canada,  from  the 
United  States  and  from  Great  Britain — and  what  is  more  to 
the  point — the  people  are  coming. 

"  To  those  who  are  interested  we  extend  a  hearty  welcome. 
Come  to  the  Pas  and  confirm  our  statements. 

^  These  bonds  have  since  been  guaranteed  for  $250,000.00. 


2i8  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

"Brief  and  to  the  Point 

"  I.  Regular  lots  in  the  original  townsite  are  66  feet  by 
132  feet ;  in  Pas  Centre,  30  to  25  feet  by  varying  depths ;  in 
Pas  Annex,  33  feet  by  132  feet.  Note  the  size  of  lots  and 
compare  with  other  towns. 

"2.  The  Pas  has  only  two  subdivisions — Pas  Centre  and 
Pas  Annex — and  both  are  within  the  corporation,  touching 
the  original  townsite.  With  the  exception  of  a  small  portion 
of  one  corner  of  Pas  Annex,  the  whole  corporation  is  within  a 
one-mile  circle.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  town  is  compact 
and  that  there  are  no  subdivisions  in  the  country. 

"  3.  Lots  sold  at  first  sales  in  1910  for  $50.00  to  $275.00. 
These  lots  have  since  sold  for  $4,000.00  to  $10,000.00. 

"  4.  During  1913,  the  year  of  financial  stringency,  the  Pas 
failed  to  '  take  notice,'  but  kept  on  in  the  even  tenor  of  its 
ways — ^building,  building,  building!  A  visitor  during  the 
summer  remarked :  '  I  thought  the  Pas  was  out  of  the  world ; 
now  I  know  it  is,  since  there  is  no  evidence  of  the  financial 
stringency,  which  has  caused  other  towns  to  call  a  halt.' 

"5.  Carpenters  work  all  winter.  Workmen  on  the  steel 
railway  bridge  worked  throughout  the  winter  of  1912-13, 
with  the  exception  of  about  ten  days.  The  electric  light  poles 
were  set  during  the  last  week  of  November  and  the  early  part 
of  December.    The  power  house  was  completed  in  December. 

"  6.  The  Pas  is  a  judicial  district  and  is  the  seat  of  the 
county  court.  The  town  has  its  own  poUce  and  the  Royal 
North- West  Mounted  Police  are  always  on  duty.  Law  and 
order  are  good.  If  you  come  to  the  Pas,  you  will  have  to  be 
as  good  as  we  are. 

"  7.  The  farming  district  of  the  Pas  is  the  largest  in  the 
world,  being  the  wheatfields  and  ranches  of  Manitoba, 
Saskatchewan,  and  Alberta,  whose  products  will  come  direct 
to  the  Pas  as  soon  as  railway  connections  are  made  with 
the  'farmers'  railway'  (Hudson  Bay  Railway). 

"  8.  Lay  a  straight  edge  on  the  map,  from  any  part  of  the 
wheat  belt  to  Port  Nelson,  and  note  how  close  the  line  comes 
to  the  Pas.     Note,  also,  that  where  the  line  is  slightly  distant 


THE  NORTHERN  METROPOLIS        219 

from  the  Pas,  natural  obstacles  must  force  railways  to  come 
to  the  Pas  to  reach  Port  Nelson,  whether  the  Hudson  Bay 
Railway  be  used  or  not. 

"  9,  The  Hudson  Bay  Railway  is  analogous  to  the  Canadian 
Pacific  Railway  in  every  particular,  except  in  length  and 
difficulty  of  construction.  The  Hudson  Bay  Railway  is 
much  shorter  and  construction  is  comparatively  easy.  The 
Hudson  Bay  Railway,  like  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway,  is 
essentially  the  '  farmers'  railway,'  intended  primarily  to 
carry  grain  and  cattle.  Like  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway, 
the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  has  its  detractors  and  will  triumph 
in  spite  of  every  opinion  to  the  contrary.  The  Canadian 
Pacific  Railway  made  Winnipeg;  the  Hudson  Bay  Rail- 
way will  make  the  Pas  a  second  and,  perhaps,  greater 
Winnipeg. 

"  10.  The  '  boosters  '  of  the  Hudson  Bay  route  do  not  belong 
to  existing  railway  corporations  ^  who  have  reason  to  fear  a 
direct  and  shorter  route,  quicker  delivery,  lower  rates  and 
better  results  in  every  way.  Every  '  knock  '  from  such  an 
enemy  is  a  '  boost.' 

"11.  Don't  condemn  the  Hudson  Bay  route  because 
some  one,  whose  pocket  will  be  pinched,  says  it  is  no  good. 
Investigate  for  yourself.  Don't  come  to  the  Pas  because 
we  say  so.  Investigate.  In  other  words  the  Hudson  Bay 
route  and  the  Pas  will  bear  investigation. 

"12.  Observe  the  advertisements  in  this  booklet.  Each 
advertisement  is  that  of  a  bona  fide  business  enterprise  and 
has  been  admitted  to  illustrate  that  the  Pas  has  up-to-date 

^  "  It  is  a  matter  of  common  historical  knowledge  that  Sir  Donald 
Smith  always  raised  the  most  strenuous  opposition  to  such  an  '  impos- 
sible '  proposal.  And  Sir  Donald  carried  some  weight.  He  was  the 
Canadian  Pacific  Railway  and  the  Bank  of  Montreal  combined — in 
short,  the  financial  king  of  Canada  for  many  years.  .  .  .  The  Canadian 
Pacific  Railway  did  not  want  the  Hudson  Bay  route,  because  it  did  not 
want  to  lose  its  long-haul  freight  charges,  upon  which  it  has  amassed 
millions  to  its  treasury.  Simple,  is  it  not  ?  That  is  why  the  Canadian 
Pacific  Railway  is  opposed  to  the  Hudson  Bay  route  to-day.  The 
other  transcontinental  roads  are  also  sorry  to  see  the  Hudson  Bay  route 
rapidly  becoming  a  certainty.  They,  too,  fear  missing  a  large  per- 
centage of  long-haul  profits.' — Chevalier  de  la  Come  and  the  Carrot 
River  Valley  of  Saskatchewan,  by  Arthur  S.  Bennett,  p.  15. 


220  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

business  men  who  are  operating  business  enterprises  such  as 
exist  only  in  a  progressive  town. 

"  13.  The  Pas  will  be  a  city  of  great  buildings — elevators, 
warehouses,  and  great  commercial  houses.  Its  position  as  the 
distributing  point  of  Anglo-Canadian  commerce  will  make 
it  a  '  wholesale  centre.' 

"14.  The  Pas  was  incorporated  in  May  1 91 2.  Two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars  have  been  voted  for  waterworks, 
sewers  and  electric  lights,  and  the  work  of  installation  has  been 
started.     How  is  that  for  progress? 

"  15.  The  Board  of  Trade  has  issued  this  booklet.  The 
Board  of  Trade  is  composed  of  the  reputable  business  men 
of  the  Pas  and  is  not  a  real  estate  agency.  The  Board  of 
Trade  is  interested  in  the  general  welfare  of  the  town  and  not 
particularly  in  the  sale  of  town  lots.  If  you  desire  authentic 
information  write  '  The  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Trade.' 
He  is  paid  to  answer  questions."  ^ 

^  The  Pas,  the  Gateway  to  Hudson  Bay,  p.  30  et  seq. 


APPENDIX  A  221 


APPENDIX  A 

HUDSON'S   BAY  COMPANY'S   POSTS  AND  MODES   OF  TRADE 

(From  Cornhill  Magazine,  August  1870)  ^ 

A  TYPICAL  fort  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  was  not  a  very 
lively  sort  of  affair  at  best.  Though  sometimes  built  on  a 
commanding  situation  at  the  head  of  some  beautiful  river, 
and  backed  by  wave  of  dark  pine  forest,  it  was  not  unpictur- 
esque  in  appearance.  Fancy  a  parallelogram  enclosed  by  a 
picket  25  or  30  feet  in  height,  composed  of  upright  trunks  of 
trees,  placed  in  a  trench,  and  fastened  along  the  top  by  a  rail, 
and  you  have  the  enclosure.  At  each  corner  was  a  strong 
bastion  built  of  squared  logs,  and  pierced  for  guns  that  could 
sweep  every  side  of  the  fort.  Inside  this  picket  was  a  gallery 
running  right  around  the  enclosure,  just  high  enough  for  a 
man's  head  to  be  level  with  the  top  of  the  fence.  At  intervals, 
all  along  the  side  of  the  picket,  were  loopholes  for  musketry, 
and  over  the  gateway  was  another  bastion  from  which  shot 
could  be  poured  on  any  party  attempting  to  carry  the  gate. 
Altogether,  though  incapable  of  withstanding  a  ten-pounder 
for  two  hours,  it  was  strong  enough  to  resist  almost  any  attack 
the  Indians  could  bring  against  it.  Inside  this  enclosure 
were  the  store-houses,  the  residences  of  the  employes,  wells, 
and  sometimes  a  good  garden.  All  night  long  a  voyageur 
would,  watch  by  watch,  pace  around  this  gallery,  crying  out 
at  intervals,  with  a  quid  of  tobacco  in  his  cheek,  the  hours 
and  the  state  of  the  weather.  This  was  a  precaution  in  case 
of  fire,  and  the  hour-calling  was  to  prevent  him  falling  asleep 
for  any  length  of  time.  Some  of  the  less  important  and  more 
distant  outposts  were  only  rough  little  log  cabins  in  the  snow, 

^  Quoted  by  G.  Mercer  Adams,  The  Canadian  Novth-West,  its  History 
and  its  Troubles. 


222  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

without  picket  or  other  enclosure,  where  a  "  postmaster  " 
resided  to  superintend  the  affairs  of  the  Company. 

The  mode  of  trading  was  peculiar.  It  was  a  system  of  barter, 
a  "  made  "  or  "  typical  "  beaver-skin  being  the  standard  of 
trade.  This  was,  in  fact,  the  currency  of  the  country.  Thus 
an  Indian  arriving  at  one  of  the  Company's  establishments 
with  a  bundle  of  furs  which  he  intends  to  sell,  proceeds,  in 
the  first  instance,  to  the  trading  room:  there  the  trader 
separates  the  furs  into  lots,  and,  after  adding  up  the  amount, 
delivers  to  the  Indian  little  pieces  of  wood,  indicating  the 
number  of  "  made-beavers  "  to  which  his  "  hunt  "  amounts. 
He  is  next  taken  to  the  store-room,  where  he  finds  himself 
surrounded  by  bales  of  blankets,  slop-coats,  guns,  scalping 
knives,  tomahawks  (all  made  in  Birmingham),  powder-horns, 
flints,  axes,  etc.  Each  article  has  a  recognised  value  in 
"  made-beavers  "  ;  a  slop-coat,  for  example,  may  be  worth 
five  "  made-beavers,"  for  which  the  Indian  delivers  up  twelve 
of  his  pieces  of  wood ;  for  a  gun  he  gives  twenty ;  for  a  knife 
two;  and  so  on,  until  his  stock  of  wooden  cash  is  expended. 
After  finishing  he  is  presented  with  a  trifle  besides  the  payment 
for  his  furs,  and  makes  room  for  some  one  else.^ 

^  Alexander  Henry  the  Elder,  op.  cit.  p.  320,  gives  the  following 
schedule  of  prices  as  being  in  use  in  1776  at  Fort  de  Prairies,  immedi- 
ately below  the  Grand  Forks  of  the  Saslcatchewan  River: — 


A  gun      ..... 

.     20 

beaver  skins 

A  Stroud  blanket 

10 

do. 

A  white  blanket 

8 

do. 

An  axe,  of  one  pound  weight 

3 

do. 

Half  a  pint  of  gunpowder 

I 

do. 

Ten  balls          .... 

I 

do. 

APPENDIX  B  223 

APPENDIX  B 

DESCRIPTION  OF  HUDSON  STRAIT  BY  A.  P.  LOW,  F.R.G.S.^ 

Hudson  Strait  has  a  length  of  nearly  500  miles  from 
Cape  Chidley,  on  the  south  side  of  its  eastern  end,  to 
Cape  Wolstenholme,  on  the  same  side  of  the  western  end. 
The  general  trend  of  the  strait  is  a  httle  north  of  west,  so 
that  the  western  cape  is  about  a  degree  and  a  half  to  the  north- 
ward of  the  eastern  one,  and  is  in  62°  30'  N.  latitude.  At 
its  eastern  entrance  the  strait  has  a  practical  channel  nearly 
35  miles  wide  between  the  outermost  Button  Islands  off  Cape 
Chidley,  and  the  shores  of  Resolution  Island  on  the  north  side. 
Gray  Strait  is  a  narrower  channel  between  the  Button  Islands 
and  the  southern  mainland.  Immediately  to  the  westward 
of  Cape  Chidley  the  southern  shore  falls  away  to  the  south- 
ward to  form  the  great  bay  of  Ungava,  which  is  140  miles 
wide,  and  somewhat  more  than  that  distance  in  length.  The 
large  island  of  Akpatock  lies  in  this  bay,  but  as  its  north  end 
is  to  the  southward  of  a  hne  drawn  across  the  mouth  of  the 
bay,  it  does  not  seriously  interfere  with  navigation  in  the 
strait. 

From  Cape  Hopes  Advance,  the  western  point  of  Ungava 
Bay,  the  southern  shore  of  the  strait  has  a  north-west  direction 
to  Cape  Weggs,  situated  150  miles  beyond.  The  northern 
shore  opposite  has  the  same  general  trend,  and  the  strait  for 
this  distance  averages  60  miles  across.  Big  Island,  situated 
on  the  north  side  in  the  western  half  of  this  portion,  extends 
southward,  so  as  to  reduce  the  width  to  30  miles. 

To  the  westward  of  Cape  Weggs  the  general  trend  of  the 
south  coast  is  nearly  due  west,  while  the  opposite  side  continues 
north-west  to  form  Gordon  Bay,  after  which  it  bends  to  the 
west  and  south,  so  that  at  its  western  end  the  strait  is  about 
100  miles  from  mainland  to  mainland,  but  of  this  distance  the 
practical  channel  is  limited  to  that  portion  between  the  south 
1  M'Kenna,  op.  cit.  p.  15  e/  seq. 


224  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

coast  and  the  large  island  of  Nottingham,  a  distance  of  35 
miles. 

In  the  western  half  of  the  strait,  Charles  Island,  which 
lies  about  25  miles  beyond  Cape  Weggs,  is  the  only  obstruction 
to  navigation.  This  island  is  25  miles  long,  and  hes  nearly 
due  east  and  west,  some  twenty  miles  from  the  south  shore 
of  the  strait.  The  ship  channel  passes  to  the  northward  of  the 
island,  although  there  is  a  good  channel  on  its  south  side. 

The  depth  of  water  in  the  ship  track  through  the  strait 
varies  from  50  to  200  fathoms.  There  are  no  shoals,  and 
with  ordinary  precautions,  there  is  little  danger  from  stranding 
on  the  bold  shores  of  either  side  of  the  strait,  or  on  the  few 
islands  that  bound  the  channel. 

A  number  of  safe  harbours  easy  of  approach  have  been 
explored  on  the  southern  side  of  the  strait,  and  others  equally 
good  and  safe  are  known  to  be  located  on  the  north  side, 
although  they  are  at  present  unsurveyed. 

The  passage  from  the  western  entrance  of  the  strait  to  the 
port  of  Churchill,  on  the  western  side  of  Hudson  Bay,  is  500 
miles.  From  the  mouth  of  the  strait  the  course  is  due  west 
for  70  miles  to  the  eastern  end  of  the  wide  channel  between 
Coats  and  Mansfield  Islands.  This  channel  is  practically 
100  miles  long,  and  varies  in  width  from  50  miles  at  the 
eastern  end  to  over  100  miles  at  the  other. 

The  general  course  of  the  ship  track  from  the  eastern  end 
of  this  channel  to  Churchill  is  nearly  south-west,  and  there 
are  nowhere  any  dangerous  shoals  or  other  obstructions  to 
navigation. 

In  the  track  across  Hudson  Bay  the  depth  of  water  varies 
from  50  to  200  fathoms,  while  the  approach  to  the  low  shores 
of  Coats  and  Mansfield  and  those  of  the  western  mainland  is 
signalled  by  the  gradual  lessening  of  the  depth  of  water,  which 
gives  ample  warning  to  ships  approaching  the  land. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  description  that  there  is  no 
natural  difficulty  in  the  navigation  of  the  bay  and  strait  so 
far  as  the  depth  of  water,  presence  of  obstructions,  and  width 
of  channel  are  concerned,  and  if  situated  in  a  more  southern 
region,  the  route  would  be  an  ideal  one  for  the  navigator. 


APPENDIX  C  225 

APPENDIX  C 

LAND  RECLAIMABLE   FROM   SASKATCHEWAN   RIVER 

(From  Hudson's  Bay  Herald,  October  9,  1913) 

O.  W.  W.  Charlton  and  T.  H.  Dun,  who  have  been  busy  on 
the  Saskatchewan  River  with  a  party  of  eighteen  men,  com- 
mencing at  Grand  Rapids  and  working  westwards,  making 
soundings  to  enable  the  hydrographical  department  at  Ottawa 
to  judge  whether  the  level  of  the  river  could  be  lowered  in 
order  to  reclaim  the  immense  stretches  of  land  in  the  extended 
delta  of  the  river,  have  reached  town,  having  completed  the 
first  part  of  their  mission.    At  the  Demi-Charge  Rapids, 
situated  between  Cross  and  Cedar  Lakes,  they  found  a  sub- 
merged wall  of  rock  about  i  mile  long  with  deep  water  on 
both  sides.     By  blasting  this  waU  and  digging  a  canal  around 
the  Grand  Rapids  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  it  will  be  possible 
to  lower  the  level  of  the  river  about  19  feet.     It  is  calculated 
that  by  this  means  about  4,000,000  acres  of  the  best  agricultural 
land  to  be  found  anywhere  would  be  reclaimed.    The  cost 
would  be  about  Sio,ooo,ooo,  or  §2.50  per  acre.     The  whole 
of  Cedar  Lake  would  then  disappear  and  become  an  immense 
stretch  of  arable  land,  while  the  low  places  around  Moose 
Lake  and  the  Pas,  which  are  either  flooded  or  in  danger  of 
being  flooded  at  high-water  periods,  would  no  longer  suffer 
from  these  causes.     It  is  believed  that  the  lowering  of  the 
level  of  the  river  would  not  in  the  least  interfere  wdth  the 
possibilities  of  navigation,  as  the  same  volume  of  water  would 
continue  to  pass  in  a  much  narrower  channel  which  it  would 
naturally  considerably  deepen.     As  it  is  now  in  many  places, 
but  chiefly  about  Cedar  Lake,  na\agation  is  somewhat  im- 
peded by  the  fact  that  it  is  sometimes  very  difficult  to  judge 
safely  where  the  passable  channel  exists.  '  The  water  in  the 
Saskatchewan  is  getting  very  low  and  the  submerged  bank  of 
the  river,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Pas  River,  which  at  ordinary  level 
is  a  danger  to  boats  entering  the  Pas,  is  now  quite  visible.  Were 
the  reclaiming  work  done,  this  danger  would  no  longer  exist. 

p 


226 


THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


APPENDIX  D 


(From  Hudson's  Bay  Herald,  September  i8, 1913) 

A  WEEK  ago  Wednesday,  September  10,  the  Hudson  Bay 
Construction  Company  inaugurated  a  passenger  service  on 
its  construction  train,  at  a  rate  of  about  five  cents  a  mile,  H. 
S.  M'Cuaig,  of  this  town,  boasts  having  bought  the  first 
passenger  ticket  over  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway.  He  paid 
$2.75  for  a  trip  to  Scott,  a  distance  of  55  miles.  The  names 
of  eighteen  stations  and  the  distances  between  same  appear 
on  the  ticket,  as  follows: 

The  Pas  . 
Lewiston  . 
Jefferson  . 
Parker 
Cormorant 
Georgetown 
Scott 

M'Laren    . 
Limestone 

It  further  reads : 

"  Hudson's  Bay  Railway  Train  Ticket — Not  transferable. 
Good  for  one  continuous  passage  only  on  the  train  issued  and 
between  stations  cancelled  by  punch  marks.  Conductor  must 
leave  this  ticket  in  hands  of  passenger.  No  responsibility 
is  undertaken  by  the  contractor  to  forward  passenger  holding 
this  ticket  over  any  part  of  the  route,  such  transportation 
being  at  the  sole  convenience  of  the  contractor  and  subject 
to  delays.  The  person  holding  this  ticket  accepts  such  con- 
ditions, and  agrees  to  release  the  contractor  from  any  claim 
for  damage,  delay  in  transit,  or  injury  to  person  or  property. 
The  Hudson's  Bay  Construction  Company,  Limited,  con- 
tractors." 

The  people  of  the  Pas,  who  are  familiar  with  what  is  going 
on  on  the  road  to  the  Bay,  will  recognise  the  different  station 


Miles 

Miles 

0 

M'Naughton       .         .          -77 

.       8 

Woody  Lake 

85 

.      22 

Malcolm     . 

92 

•      30 

Colin 

100 

•      37 

M'Millan    . 

108 

•     45 

Kusko  River 

117 

•      55 

Setting  Lake 

I2S 

.     62 

Moffat 

132 

•      72 

Boyd 

140 

APPENDIX  D  227 

names.  For  the  information  of  outsiders,  however,  it  may  be 
well  to  state  that  Lewiston,  Jefferson,  Parker,  Scott,  M'Laren, 
M'Naughton,  Moffat,  have  been  named  after  engineers  or 
other  employees  of  the  Hudson  Bay  road ;  Malcolm  and  Colin 
are  the  two  Christian  names  of  the  M'Millan  Brothers,  the 
grading  contractors  whose  family  name  will  also  be  perpetu- 
ated ;  Georgetown  reminds  one  of  our  old  friend  George  Cowan, 
the  first  settler  of  the  Cormorant  Lake  district;  Boyd  is 
named  after  N.  K.  Boyd,  ex-M.P.  for  Portage  la  Prairie,  one 
of  the  chief  partners  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Construction  Company. 
The  other  names  are  geographical.  Between  Lewiston  and 
Jefferson  there  seems  to  be  room  for  another  station,  the  site 
of  which  will  probably  be  decided  later,  possibly  simultaneously 
with  developments  expected  to  take  place  about  Clearwater 
Lake.     It  remains  to  say  that  the  steel  is  only  laid  to  mile  56.^ 

*  The  names  of  stations  given  here  have  since  been  changed. 


228  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

APPENDIX  E 

THE   SELECT  COMMITTEE'S   INQUIRY,    1857 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Red  River  Settlements  held  in  December 
1856,  as  a  result  of  Ballentyne  having  been  escorted  back  to 
the  Red  River  by  officers  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  at 
Norw'ay  House  where  he  had  ventured  to  go  to  trade,  one 
William  Fair  had  exclaimed:  "  Let  the  world  answer,  let 
England,  let  Canada  answer :  if  the  company  offer  the  native 
one  blanket  for  a  skin  or  fur,  and  another  man,  a  native 
European,  passes  by  and  offers  two  blankets  for  that  same 
skin,  has  not  the  native  a  right  to  take  the  two  blankets  of 
the  latter,  and  refuse  the  one  from  the  company?  " 

Whether  this  episode  had  any  bearing  on  the  inquiry  which 
was  started  the  following  year,  evidently  it  was  feared  in 
many  quarters  that  the  appointees  would  probably  be  guided 
by  the  wishes  and  influence  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company, 
and,  on  the  announcement  of  the  formation  of  the  committee, 
the  Colonial  Intelligencer  said:  "We  regret  to  state  that 
undue  partiality  to  the  company  was  manifested  by  Mr. 
Labouchere  in  selecting  the  members  of  the  House  of  Commons 
who  should  sit  upon  the  committee."  The  paper  then 
points  out  that  Mr.  Matheson,  for  example,  is  a  large  stock- 
holder in  the  company.  Hearing  that  the  equitable  prin- 
ciples of  the  company  are  to  form  the  basis  of  settlement, 
it  adds:  "The  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  monopoly  is,  for- 
sooth, to  be  maintained  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indians !  That 
monopoly  which  gives  a  body  of  traders,  and  their  agents, 
irresponsible  and  absolute  power  throughout  the  vast  regions 
of  Rupert's  Land  and  the  adjacent  territories  is,  after  all,  a 
blessing,  and  not  the  curse  we  have  so  often  represented  it  to 
be!     The  people  of  England,  however,  know  better." 

The  Toronto  Globe  of  April  17,  1857,  seemed  also  to  fear 
the  fact  that  Mr.  Labouchere  was  mixed  up  in  this  inquiry.     It 


APPENDIX  E  229 

said:  "  The  same  Mr.  Labouchere  has  shown  himself  ready 
to  surrender  for  ever  the  vast  territories  in  the  north-west  to 
the  thraldom  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company." 

The  committee,  however,  rendered  a  verdict  quite  favourable 
to  the  settlement  of  the  country:  its  12th  resolution  read  as 
follows:  "Your  committee  believe  that  the  districts  in  the 
Red  River,  Saskatchewan,  and  the  Mackenzie  hold  out  induce- 
ments to  enterprising  individuals  from  Canada  and  from  this 
country,  for  their  early  occupation,  which  ought,  by  every 
legitimate  means,  to  be  encouraged."  ^ 

This  finding,  which  looked  so  promising  to  Canada,  was  not 
heralded  by  all  with  the  same  enthusiasm.  The  Montreal 
Gazette  of  September  16,  1857,  said:  "  Festina  lente  is  an 
excellent  maxim  with  respect  to  the  annexation  or  absorption 
of  territory  as  in  other  affairs  of  life." 

The  New  York  Tribune  thought  very  favourably  of  the 
result  of  the  inquiry:  "Congress  having  provided  the 
means,  by  a  bountiful  grant  of  lands,  for  a  speedy  railroad 
communication  with  the  valley  of  the  Red  River,  many  years 
will  not  probably  elapse  before  this  region,  till  now  the  favourite 
haunt  of  the  savage,  will  be  dotted  all  over  with  farms,  and 
villages,  and  embryo  cities." 

»  Report  of  Select  Committee  to  consider  state  of  British  Possessions  in 
North  America,  July  31,  1857. 


230  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


APPENDIX  F 

"  THE  "    OR  "  LE  " — WHICH? 

{Manitoba  Free  Press) 

The  following  communication  has  reached  the  Free  Press  in 
regard  to  the  name  of  the  new  town  which  is  the  centre  of  the 
lately  acquired  extension  of  the  territory  of  Manitoba : 

"Having  noticed  lately  that  some  despatches  from  the 
southern  terminus  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  were  headed 
The  Pas  (pronounced  Paw),  the  reappearance  of  this  hybrid 
name  has  set  me  wondering  why  this  form,  which  I  thought 
had  been  finally  abandoned,  should  again  find  people  wilhng 
to  employ  it.  I  have  taken  the  trouble  of  studying  most 
fully  documents,  historical  and  traditional,  bearing  on  the 
subject,  and  I  now  take  the  liberty  of  asking  j^ou,  Mr.  Editor, 
to  kindly  open  the  columns  of  your  valuable  journal  to  the 
few  facts  and  remarks  which  I  have  gathered  on  the  subject, 
as  well  as  the  only  natural  conclusion  which,  in  my  opinion, 
can  reasonably  be  arrived  at. 

"  When,  last  January,  the  inhabitants  of  the  new  northern 
metropolis,  Le  Pas,  were  asked  to  vote  on  a  money  by-law 
providing  for  the  expenditure  of  $120,000  on  sewers  and  water- 
works, there  was  not  one  single  vote  registered  against  the 
proposition.  This  estabhshed  a  new  record  in  such  matters 
in  Western  Canada,  and  showed  how  well  united  the  people 
of  that  town  are.  There  is  only  one  point,  apparently,  on 
which  opinions  differ,  and  which  causes  a  Uttle  friction  between 
the  two  camps  in  which  the  population  is  on  this  account 
divided.  That  is  whether  '  Le  Pas  '  or  *  The  Pas  '  should 
be  the  name  of  the  south  terminus  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Railway. 

"  In  view  of  the  considerable  attention  which  this  town  has 


APPENDIX  F  251 

attracted  for  the  past  eighteen  months,  a  short  and  impartial 
study  of  the  subject  should  not  be  amiss. 

"  As  far  as  modern  history  goes,  Le  Pas  dates  back  to  1840. 
In  that  year.  Rev.  Henry  Budd,  an  Indian  catechist  from 
York  Factory,  founded  there  a  Church  of  England  mission, 
which  was  known  successively  as  Devon  Mission,  Ciunberland 
Mission  and  Pas  Mission.  On  his  arrival  he  had  found  the 
place  called  '  Le  Pas  de  la  Riviere  '  and  evidently  found  it 
ultimately  necessary  to  preserve  this  name,  although  with 
the  help  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  it  was  AngUcized  into 
the  form  The  Pas.  The  tombstone  of  the  Indian  preacher  is 
still  to  be  seen  in  the  old  cemetery  by  Christ  Church,  at  the 
northern  end  of  Fischer  Avenue.  The  inscription  on  it  reads 
as  follows :  '  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  the  Rev.  Henry  Budd, 
who  died  April  2,  1875,  aged  61  years.  Named  after  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  C.M.S.  The  first  Indian  convert  and 
clergyman  in  Rupert's  Land.  An  earnest  and  faithful  minister 
of  the  gospel  for  25  years.  Beloved  by  the  flock  over  which 
he  was  pastor.' 

"  From  that  time  to  about  1895,  the  place  continued  to  be 
known  as  The  Pas  and  Pas  Mission  among  the  EngHsh-speaking 
element  of  the  population,  and  Le  Pas  among  the  French- 
speaking  people.  In  that  year  a  post-office  was  established 
to  which  the  name  The  Pas  was  given. 

"  In  1908,  the  Canadian  Northern  Railway  named  its  station 
Le  Pas,  and  in  1911  the  post-office  department  followed  suit 
and  changed  the  name  from  The  Pas  into  Le  Pas.  The  same 
fall  the  local  newspaper,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Herald,  was 
established,  which  naturally  adopted  the  name  used  by  both 
the  railway  and  the  post-office  department.  In  the  spring 
of  1912  a  deputation  went  down  to  Winnipeg  to  obtain 
the  incorporation  of  the  town  under  the  name  of  The  Pas, 
which  was  granted,  although  the  new  electoral  district  formed 
of  Manitoba's  new  territory  had  been  previously  called  Le 
Pas.  Those  who  are  in  favour  of  the  French  form  say  that  in 
doing  this  the  members  of  the  deputation  overrode  their 
instructions,  as  the  mandate  they  had  received  did  not 
authorise  them  to  unnecessarily  change  established  conditions. 


232  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

"  Two  etymologies  are  offered  as  to  the  word  '  Pas.'  Those 
who  are  in  favour  of  the  form  '  The  Pas  '  say  that  it  is  a 
contraction  of  the  Indian  word  '  opasquiaow,'  which,  they 
explain,  means  '  water  converging  to  a  narrows,  with  high 
land  and  spruce  trees  on  either  side.'  Those  who  stand  for 
'  Le  Pas  '  rejoin  that,  if  it  be  so,  it  should  be  pronounced 
'  The  Pass,'  since  in  the  Indian  word  the  '  s  '  is  sounded, 
and  they  offer  the  counter  explanation  that  '  pas  '  is  a  French 
word  which  means  '  narrow  passage,'  as  employed  in  the 
well-known  geographical  terms,  Pas  de  Calais,  Pas  de  Roland, 
Pas  du  Loup,  etc.  In  fact,  the  Indian  and  French  meanings 
do  not  differ  materially,  both  are  perfectly  descriptive  of  the 
aspect  which  is  characteristic  of  the  Saskatchewan  River  at 
Mission  Island,  where  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  bridge  has 
been  erected.  It  must  be  admitted,  at  any  rate,  that  if  the 
word  '  pas  '  is  a  contraction  of  the  Indian  word  '  opas- 
quiaow,' it  is  at  least  pronounced  after  the  French  fashion. 
In  Enghsh,  even  if  understood  in  the  sense  of  dance  step,  as 
used  by  Chaucer,  the  correct  pronunciation  should  be  '  pass.' 

"  But  the  history  of  that  place  goes  much  further  back  than 
1840,  and  it  is  there  that  the  French  etymologist  finds  his 
most  weighty  material.  I  beheve  that  your  readers  will 
find  the  facts  that  I  am  going  to  rapidly  enumerate,  interesting 
and  given  in  an  impartial  manner,  although,  favouring  the 
French  form  and  beheving  that  it  is  better  known  by  the 
public  at  large  than  the  English  form,  I  shall  continue  to  use 
Le  Pas  in  my  narrative. 

"To  Chevalier  Pierre  and  his  brother  Francois,  sons  of  the 
now  famous  western  discoverer,  Pierre  Gaultier  de  Varennes, 
Sieur  de  la  Verendrye,  is  generally  ascribed  the  honour  of  having 
discovered  the  Saskatchewan  River,  which  they  ascended  as 
far  as  the  forks  in  the  fall  of  1741.  Before  them  Henry 
Kellsey  had  taken  a  trip  south-west  of  Port  Nelson  as  early 
as  1691,  but  it  is  not  probable  that  he  went  as  far  south  as  the 
Saskatchewan  River,  and  in  1739  a  French  half-breed  by  the 
name  of  Joseph  La  France,  a  native  of  Michili  Makinak,  on 
Lake  Huron,  had  set  out  for  Hudson  Bay,  and  finally  spent 
the  winter  of  1740-41  near  Le  Pas,  on  Saskaram  Lake.     It 


APPENDIX  F  233 

seems,  however,  impossible  to  verify  the  stories  of  Robson 
and  Dobbs,  and  for  this  reason  most  historians  do  not  mention 
them. 

"  Leaving  their  father  at  Fort  de  la  Reine  (Portage  la  Prairie) , 
the  two  younger  la  Verendryes  had  started  northward,  dis- 
covered Lake  Manitoba,  on  the  west  side  of  which  they  had 
founded  Fort  Dauphin,  subsequently  reached  the  Saskatchewan 
River,  established  Fort  Bourbon  on  the  west  end  of  Cedar 
Lake  and  Fort  Poskoiac,  where  Le  Pas  is  to-day. 

"According  to  most  reliable  historians  such  as  Rev.  E. 
Petitot,  laureate  of  the  Geographical  Society  of  London,  and 
Rev.  A.  G.  Morice,  member  of  the  Historical  and  Scientific 
Society  of  Manitoba  and  British  Columbia,  and  who  is  ad- 
mitted an  authority  on  western  history  by  Catholics  and 
Protestants  aUke,  the  two  younger  la  Verendryes  named  that 
part  of  the  Saskatchewan  River  flowing  between  the  Junction 
point  of  the  north  and  south  branches  above  Fort  a  la  Come 
and  Le  Pas,  Riviere  du  Pas,  out  of  devotion  to  their  mother, 
Marie  Anne  Dandonneau  du  Sabl6  de  I'lsle  du  Pas,  daughter 
of  the  marquis  of  that  name.  In  support  of  this  version.  Rev. 
E.  Petitot  states  that  during  his  trip  up  the  river  in  1862,  on 
arriving  at  Le  Pas,  his  French  half-breed  guides  exclaimed 
on  sighting  the  wide  expanse  of  the  Saskatchewan  River: 
'  La  Riviere  du  Pas !  '  '  And  the  Saskatchewan  ?  '  '  There 
is  no  river  of  that  name.  This  is  the  Riviere  du  Pas;  we 
know  of  no  other.'  This  opinion  is  confirmed  by  John 
M'Lean,  who  in  his  notes  of  a  25  years'  service  in  the  Hudson 
Bay  territory,  published  in  1849,  wrote :  '  We  arrived  on  the 
5th  of  August  (1833)  at  Riviere  du  Pas,  where  an  old  Canadian, 
M.  Constant,  had  fixed  his  abode,  who  appeared  to  have  an 
abundance  of  the  necessaries  of  fife,  and  a  large  family  of 
half-Indians,  who  seemed  to  claim  him  as  their  sire.' 

"  Dr.  Bryce  says  that  la  Verendrye's  sons  shortened 
the  name  of  the  river,  which  was  '  Paskoyac,'  to  '  Pas.' 
James  Settee,  a  minister  of  the  gospel  at  Cumberland  House, 
says  that  the  French-Canadian  half-breeds  called  the  Saskatche- 
wan River  '  Riviere  du  Pas.'  He  has  lived  in  the  country  for 
years,  and  before  him  his  father  and  mother  lived  in  it. 


234  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

"  In  my  opinion,  however,  it  seems  strange  that  if  this  name 
were  given  to  the  Saskatchewan  River  by  the  two  younger  la 
Verendryes,  it  should  not  be  mentioned  on  the  map  which 
was  on  their  return  prepared  by  their  father,  and  on  which  it 
seems  evident  that  the  Saskatchewan  River  from  Le  Pas  is 
named  Baskoia.  On  the  other  hand  the  map  may  have  been 
prepared  in  the  absence  of  the  two  j^oung  men,  and  on  their 
data,  while  they  were  away  on  further  discoveries.  This 
would  not  have  prevented  the  name  '  Riviere  du  Pas  '  being 
preserved  among  the  French  half-breeds,  who  had  heard  it 
employed  by  the  two  la  Verendryes  and  the  men  in  their 
party. 

"  In  1763,  when  Canada  was  ceded  to  England  by  the  Treaty 
of  Paris,  of  the  French  traders  and  missionaries  who  had 
accompanied  or  followed  the  la  Verendryes  on  their  trip  up 
the  Saskatchewan,  there  were  hardly  any  left,  they  having 
returned  to  Quebec  to  take  part  in  the  fight  which  culminated 
in  England  getting  possession  of  almost  half  a  continent. 
The  result  was  that  the  French  language  ahnost  disappeared 
from  the  land,  being  retained  only  by  the  Metis  and  some  of 
their  Indian  allies.  Later,  however,  about  1783,  the  Scotch  mer- 
chants who  had  commenced  hieing  away  to  the  Far  West  as 
early  as  1760  again  employed  the  '  Coureurs  des  Bois  '  and 
'  Voyageurs  '  in  their  expeditions,  and  as  all  their  men  spoke 
French  among  themselves,  the  French  expressions  as  well  as 
names  of  places  were  retained,  for  some  time,  at  least.  In  some 
cases,  however,  they  were  unable  to  account  for  the  meaning 
of  some  of  them,  and  so  Riviere  du  Pas  degenerated  into  Le 
Pas  de  la  Riviere,  these  men,  no  doubt,  imagining  that  the 
name  had  been  given  on  account  of  the  narrow  passage  at 
Mission  Island. 

"  No  one  will  try  to  deny  that  French  was  very  much  in  use 
among  the  Scotch  merchants,  who,  as  soon  as  they  were  able 
to  get  them,  used  none  but  French-speaking  employees,  on 
account  of  their  being  better  adapted,  by  years  of  residence 
in  the  country  and  contact  with  its  Indian  population,  to  the 
hardships  of  the  fur  trade.  This  is  evidenced  by  the  terms 
used  even  in  the  reports  of  these  merchants,    M'Tavish,  of  the 


APPENDIX  F  235 

X.  Y.  Company,  in  1779,  was  nicknamed  '  Le  Premier ' 
or  '  Le  Marquis,'  while  such  appellations  as  *  Les  Petits,' 
'  La  Petite  Compagnie,'  '  Pot  au  Beurre,'  '  Cantine  Salope,' 
'  Mangeurs  de  Lard,'  '  Le  Rouge,'  '  Le  Blanc,'  '  Le  Borgne,' 
'  Le  Picote,' '  Les  Vachers,'  etc.,  were  quite  common. 

"  It  would,  therefore,  be  quite  unreasonable  to  deny  that  Le 
Pas  is  undoubtedly  much  older  than  the  hybrid  form.  The  Pas. 

"  Another  feature  favouring  the  form  Le  Pas  is  the  fact  that 
about  1800  a  French-Canadian  and  native  of  Three  Rivers, 
named  Constant,  settled  on  the  point  where  the  town  is  now 
located,  cleared  the  ground  of  the  trees  that  were  there,  and 
started  farming.  According  to  his  grandson,  Antoine  Con- 
stant, the  present  chief  of  the  Indians  of  the  Pas  reserve, 
from  whose  lips  this  information  has  been  obtained.  Constant 
married  a  Sauteaux  woman,  who  gave  him  two  boys  and 
four  daughters.  The  present  chief's  father,  whose  name  was 
also  Antoine,  married  a  Cree  woman,  who  bore  him  five  boys 
and  four  daughters.  Now,  to  any  unprejudiced  person,  the 
question  is  asked:  Is  it  likely  that  the  first  Constant,  who  was 
probably  one  of  these  coureurs  des  bois  or  voyageurs,  above 
mentioned,  would  have  called  Le  Pas  anything  but  Le  Pas? 
Is  it  reasonable  to  imagine  that  he  may  have  called  it  The  Pas  ? 

"  The  remark  has  been  made  that  The  Pas  has  been  in  use 
by  the  government  on  its  maps  and  in  its  reports,  principally 
those  emanating  from  the  Indian  Department.  This  is  not 
denied,  but  the  same  may  be  said  of  Le  Pas.  For  example, 
Le  Pas  is  to  be  seen  on  the  official  plan  of  township  56,  range 
26.  W.  ist  M,  In  his  booklet,  The  Hudson  Bay  Route, 
published  in  1908  by  direction  of  the  Department  of  the 
Interior,  J.  A.  M'Kenna  uses  the  form  Le  Pas.  In  the  1912 
report  of  Indian  Inspector  Jackson  and  Indian  Agent  Fischer, 
Le  Pas  can  be  read.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  both  terms  have 
been  employed,  chiefly  recently. 

"  The  object  of  this  article  is  to  give  the  facts  just  as  they  are 
found  and  without  partiality.  In  conclusion,  the  writer  might 
be  permitted  to  make  the  following  remark:  We  British 
should  be  satisfied  with  having  conquered  this  part  of  the 
world.     In  this,  imitating  our  cousins  of  the  United  States, 


236  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

we  should  be  willing  to  let  the  places  which  remind  one  of  the 
early  history  of  the  country  retain  the  names  which  are  so 
characteristic  of  its  early  settlement  by  the  European  nations, 
and  not  grudge  to  a  nation  with  whose  people  we  are  now  allied 
the  satisfaction  of  bringing  back  some  of  its  ancient  history, 
when  this  satisfaction  does  not  extend  beyond  the  naming  of  a 
place.  Let  us  be  generous,  and  so  long  as  tradition  does  not 
conflict  with  common  sense,  let  us  permit  the  right  to  our  French 
co-citizens  to  retain  even  so  little  a  share  in  the  building  up 
of  our  great  western  country.  They  have  been  at  the  battle: 
why  refuse  them  their  place  at  the  triumph?  The  victor  is 
worthy  of  the  spoils. — Yours  truly, 

"Fair  Play. 

"Winnipeg,  May  15,  191 3." 


APPENDIX  G  237 

APPENDIX  G 

(From  The  Winnipeg  Telegram,  Saturday,  November  28, 1914) 

Doctor  W.  Sinclair,  of  the  Pas,  who  has  recently  completed 
a  trip  along  the  line  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  to  Port  Nelson, 
was  in  Winnipeg  this  week.  He  talked  most  entertainingly 
about  the  north  country  and  disclosed  scores  of  splendid 
photographs  he  made  on  his  trip.  The  country  traversed  by 
the  Hudson  Bay  Railway,  between  the  Pas  and  Hudson's 
Bay,  is  all,  more  or  less,  wooded,  and  for  the  first  150  miles 
beyond  the  Pas  it  is  but  slightly  elevated  above  the  local 
waterworks.  Consequently,  in  most  places,  it  will  require 
draining  before  it  can  be  used  for  agricultural  or  grazing  pur- 
poses. Beyond  that  point  the  land  gradually  rises  above 
the  local  streams  and  lakes,  until  it  reaches  a  height  of  200  feet, 
about  60  miles  from  Port  Nelson.  From  there  to  the  harbour 
the  banks  of  the  river  and  the  tributary  lakes  gradually  lower 
until  they  are  not  more  than  50  feet  high. 

The  doctor  said:  "Beyond  Thicket  portage  the  rock  is 
covered  by  clay  varying  from  a  few  feet  to  several  hundred 
feet,  but  deep  enough  in  all  places  for  agricultural  purposes. 

"  The  surface  for  the  most  part  is  composed  of  alluvial 
deposit,  containing  a  large  percentage  of  decayed  vegetable 
matter,  with  a  heavy  clay  subsoil,  and  for  miles,  in  many 
places,  repeated  fires  had  destroyed  the  forest,  with  which 
the  land  has  been  covered,  and  only  fallen  and  decaying  spruce 
is  to  be  seen  on  ground  thickly  grown  with  fireweed,  peavine, 
and  small  fruit,  with  an  occasional  birch  or  poplar  grove. 

"  One  cannot  help  seeing,  in  imagination,  prosperous  farms 
and  villages  inhabited,  not  by  farmers  drawn  from  the  prairies, 
as  their  ideas  of  farming  are  on  too  large  a  scale,  but  by  a  popu- 
lation from  across  the  ocean,  who  will  be  glad  to  farm  fertile 
soil  so  near  the  European  market. 

"  I  need  hardly  mention  the  lakes,  teeming  with  the  greatest 


238  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

variety  of  fish,  because  all  reports  have  mentioned  these,  as 
well  as  the  mineral  prospects,  which  are  already  beginning 
to  attract  attention. 

"  Beginning  about  lOO  miles  north-east  of  the  Pas,  and 
continuing  parallel  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  for  a  distance 
of  nearly  200  miles,  until  it  joins  the  Nelson  River,  in  Split 
Lake,  is  a  series  of  lakes  linked  together  by  a  river  of  consider- 
able size,  known  as  Grass  River.  The  shores  and  islands  of 
these  are  thickly  wooded  with  good-sized  spruce,  and  each 
lake  in  succession  tumbles  into  the  Grass  River  over  a  fall, 
ranging  from  15  to  50  feet.  I  have  visited  the  Niagara;  I 
have  gone  as  far  as  Switzerland,  to  admire  nature's  handiwork, 
but  I  was  fascinated  by  a  canoe  trip  on  the  Grass  River,  and 
gazed  with  awe  on  the  mighty  torrent  and  ice-scarred  rocks 
of  the  Lower  Nelson.^ 

"  I  had  a  good  opportunity  to  study  the  climatic  conditions 
at  a  season  when  such  conditions  are  important  from  an 
agricultural  standpoint,  as  from  August  11  to  September  21 
I  slept  in  a  tent,  rising  at  daylight  every  morning.  There 
were  no  signs  of  frost  on  grass  or  pool  until  September  7,  when 
there  was  a  heavy  white  frost,  where  I  camped  at  Kettle 
Rapids,  150  miles  from  Port  Nelson.  On  September  8  there 
was  again  white  frost,  but  not  quite  as  heavy,  and  it  did  not 
freeze  again  until  my  trip  was  completed. 

"  On  September  12,  in  company  with  Rev.  Mr.  Fox,  I 
visited  his  garden  at  SpUt  Lake.  It  was  still  absolutely  un- 
touched by  frost.  Three  weeks  previous  to  this  (August  22) 
I  had  the  pleasure  of  dining  with  the  gentleman  and  his  wife, 
at  which  time  they  served  new  potatoes  from  this  garden. 
He  informed  me  it  had  been  planted  on  June  12,  and  that 
the  seed  was  in  bad  shape,  having  been  brought  all  the  way 
from  Winnipeg  by  boat ;  but  what  grew  had  grown  luxuriantly, 
and  I  must  say  I  never  tasted  better. 

"On  a  '  tote  '  road  near  Setting  Lake,  on  August  13  I 

'  One  reads  in  the  Pas  Herald  and  Mining  News  of  April  9,  1915: 
"  J.  B.  Challis,  superintendent  of  the  water  power  branch,  writes  that 
a  reconnaissance  of  Grass  River  will  be  undertaken  this  summer,  to 
determine  the  water  power  available.  The  information  will  then  be 
given  to  the  Board  of  Trade." 


APPENDIX  G  239 

plucked  several  heads  of  well-matured  ripe  barley,  which  had 
grown  from  seed,  dropped  from  transport  loads  the  previous 
winter.  On  September  3  at  Standing  Rock  portage,  near  the 
Manitou  crossing  of  the  Nelson,  I  found  perfectly  matured 
oats,  barley,  and  timothy,  which  had  been  planted  the  same 
way. 

"  The  Hudson  Bay  Railway  has  no  sharp  curves  and  no 
difficult  grades.  It  follows  a  natural  valley,  which  slopes 
gradually  from  820  at  the  Pas  to  28  feet  at  Port  Nelson  or 
800  feet  in  400  miles.  Eighty-pound  steel  is  being  used,  and 
a  siding  nearly  a  mile  long  being  placed  every  7  miles,  all 
of  which  will  facilitate  the  rapid  handhng  of  heavy  loads. 

"  One  hundred  and  seventy- four  miles  have  been  completed 
and  the  grade  is  ahnost  ready  for  70  miles  more.  Track- 
laying,  which  has  been  held  up  since  September  22,  owing,  in 
the  first  place,  to  some  unfinished  cuts,  but  lately  to  the  heavy 
rain,  softening  the  grade,  will  be  resumed  as  soon  as  the  grade 
freezes,  and  pushed  with  all  speed  to  Manitou,  Mile  240,  where 
the  bridge  builders  will  hold  it  up  for  a  time. 

"  Beyond  Manitou  the  grade  is  almost  finished  for  50  miles, 
and  provisions  will  be  distributed  from  that  point  to  the  sea 
this  winter. 

"  When  my  canoe  rounded  Flamborough  Head  on  Sep- 
tember I,  at  II  a.m.,  I  got  my  first  view  of  the  great  bay, 
which  is  certain  to  revolutionise  the  transportation  problems 
of  Western  Canada  and  a  large  part  of  the  United  States. 
Along  the  left-hand  shore,  as  we  sped  down  with  the  ebbing 
tide,  I  could  see  the  piers  and  wireless  station  becoming  more 
distinct  every  minute.  Out  i^  miles  off  the  end  of  pier  No.  i, 
lay  the  steamer  Sheha,  a  steel  tramp  of  4000  tons;  near  her 
lay  the  fisheries  department  schooner,  in  which  Captain  Coma 
was  exploring  the  west  shore  of  the  bay.  Farther  out  lay  two 
other  steamers,  waiting  their  turn  to  come  in  and  unload. 

"  On  a  nearer  view  the  harbour  was  a  whirl  of  activity. 
Seven  hundred  and  twenty-eight  men  were  at  work,  and  each 
man  seemed  to  have  work  to  do.  Some  were  building  bunk- 
houses  and  dining-halls  for  the  men,  and  store-houses  for  the 
supphes.     Some  were  unloading  the  ships,  using  for  this 


240  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

purpose  two  fine  steam  lighters,  and  working  night  and  day, 
whenever  the  tides  were  favourable,  as  the  piers  are  not  yet 
far  enough  out  to  allow  even  the  lighter  to  come  in  at  low  tide. 
By  others,  a  tremendous  pile  of  material  was  being  assembled 
and  riveted  into  pipe,  which,  when  finished,  will  be  six  or 
seven  miles  long. 

"  More  similar  material  is  being  made  into  huge  barrel-like 
structures,  which  will  be  placed  in  pairs,  and  used  to  float 
this  pipe  from  the  dredge,  which  when  ready  will  operate  out 
in  the  channel,  widening  and  deepening  where  necessary,  while 
the  silt  sucked  up  from  the  bottom  will  be  sent  with  tremendous 
force  through  these  miles  of  pipes  and  deposited  into  cribs, 
being  prepared  to  receive  it.  Thus  the  piers  which  are  now 
dry  at  low  tide  will  be  extended  out  to  the  river  channel  in 
which  the  Sheba  lay  anchored.  So  the  long  sloping  beach 
will  be  reclaimed  for  terminal  purposes  and  the  harbour 
widened  and  deepened. 

"Up  on  the  hillside  a  steam  shovel  slowly  cut  its  way  to 
the  higher  land,  a  small  terminal  engine  puffed  majestically 
along,  followed  by  trains  of  loaded  cars.  A  locomotive  crane 
came  up  the  pier,  groaning  under  the  load  of  some  heavy 
piece  of  machinery.  Wireless  messages  flashed  back  and  forth 
from  steamers  on  the  bay — and  again  overland  to  the  Pas. 

"  It  was  with  difficulty  that  I  realised  that  I  was  really  wide 
awake,  and  that  this  was  indeed  Hudson  Bay." 


APPENDIX  H  241 


APPENDIX  H 

ALEXANDER   HENRY  AND   CHATIQUE   AT  THE   PAS 

Alexander  Henry,  the  elder,  was  at  Fort  Bourbon  on 
Cedar  Lake  on  October  7,  1775:  on  October  26  he  was  at 
Cumberland  House:  his  adventure  at  the  Pas,  in  which 
Chatique,  the  Indian  chief,  was  the  hero,  took  place  between 
these  two  dates.     His  own  narrative  follows : 

"  At  eighty  leagues  above  Fort  de  Bourbon,  at  the  head  of  a 
stream  which  falls  into  the  Sascatchiwaine,  and  into  which  we 
had  turned,  we  found  the  Pasquayah  village.  It  consisted  of 
thirty  families,  lodged  in  tents  of  a  circular  form,  and  com- 
posed of  dressed  ox-skins,  stretched  upon  poles  twelve  feet 
in  length,  and  leaning  against  a  stake  driven  into  the  ground 
in  the  centre. 

"  On  our  arrival,  the  chief,  named  Chatique,  or  the  Pelican, 
came  down  upon  the  beach,  attended  by  thirty  followers, 
all  armed  with  the  bows  and  arrows,  and  with  spears.  Chatique 
was  a  man  of  more  than  six  feet  in  height,  somewhat  corpulent, 
and  ©f  a  very  doubtful  physiognomy.  He  invited  us  to  his 
tent,  and  we  observed  that  he  was  particularly  anxious 
to  bestow  his  hospitalities  on  those  who  were  the  owners  of 
the  goods.  We  suspected  an  evil  design;  but  judged  it 
better  to  lend  ourselves  to  the  treachery,  than  to  discover  fear. 
We  entered  the  lodge  accordingly,  and  soon  perceived  that 
we  were  surrounded  by  armed  men.^ 

"  Chatique  presently  rose  up,  and  told  us  that  he  was  glad 
to  see  us  arrive;  that  the  young  men  of  the  village,  as  well 
as  himself,  had  long  been  in  want  of  many  things  of  which  we 
were  possessed  in  abundance ;  that  we  must  be  well  aware  of 
his  power  to  prevent  our  going  further;  that  if  we  passed  now, 
he  could  put  us  all  to  death  on  our  return ;  and  that  under 
these  circumstances,  he  expected  us  to  be  exceedingly  liberal 

1  "  With  Henry  in  the  lodge  were  the  Frobishers,  Peter  Pond,  a 
trader  named  Cadotte,  and  one  or  two  others." — Burpee,  op.  cit.  p.  311. 

Q 


242  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

in  our  presents:  adding,  that  to  avoid  misunderstanding,  he 
would  inform  us  of  what  it  was  that  he  must  have.  It 
consisted  in  three  casks  of  gunpowder ;  four  bags  of  shot  and 
ball ;  two  bales  of  tobacco,  three  kegs  of  rum,  and  three  guns ; 
together  with  knives,  flints  and  some  smaller  articles.  He 
went  on  to  say,  that  he  had  before  now  been  acquainted  with 
white  men,  and  knew  that  they  promised  more  than  they 
performed;  that  with  the  number  of  men  which  he  had,  he 
could  take  the  whole  of  our  property,  without  our  consent; 
and  that  therefore  his  demands  ought  to  be  regarded  as  very 
reasonable;  that  he  was  a  peaceable  man,  and  one  that 
contented  himself  with  moderate  views,  in  order  to  avoid 
quarrels;  finally,  that  he  desired  us  to  signify  our  assent 
to  his  proposition,  before  we  quitted  our  places. 

"  The  men  in  the  canoes  exceeded  the  Indians  in  number; 
but  they  were  unarmed,  and  without  a  leader.  Our  consulta- 
tion was  therefore  short,  and  we  promised  to  comply.  This 
done,  the  pipe  was  handed  round  as  usual;  and  the  omission 
of  this  ceremony,  on  our  entrance,  had  sufficiently  marked 
the  intentions  of  Chatique.  The  pipe  dismissed,  we  obtained 
permission  to  depart,  for  the  purpose  of  assorting  the  presents ; 
and,  these  bestowed,  or  rather  yielded  up,  we  hastened  away 
from  the  plunderers. 

"  We  had  supposed  the  affair  finished;  but,  before  we  had 
proceeded  two  miles,  we  saw  a  canoe  behind  us.  On  this,  we 
dropped  astern,  to  give  the  canoes  that  were  following  us  an 
opportunity  of  joining,  lest,  being  alone,  they  should  be 
insulted.  Presently,  however,  Chatique,  in  a  solitary  canoe, 
rushed  into  the  midst  of  our  squadron,  and  boarded  one  of  our 
canoes,  spear  in  hand,  demanding  a  keg  of  rum,  and  threaten- 
ing to  put  to  death  the  first  that  opposed  him.  We  saw  that 
our  only  alternative  was,  to  kill  this  daring  robber,  or  to 
submit  to  his  exaction.  The  former  part  would  have  been 
attended  with  very  mischievous  consequences;  and  we 
therefore  curbed  our  indignation,  and  chose  the  latter.  On 
receiving  the  rum,  he  saluted  us  with  the  Indian  cry,  and 
departed."^ 

*  Henry,  op.  cit.  p.  259  et  seq. 


APPENDIX  I  243 


APPENDIX  I 

"  THE   UNEXPLOITED   WEST  " 

Under  this  title,  a  most  interesting  compilation  of  all  avail- 
able information  as  to  the  resources  of  Northern  Canada  has 
just  been  published  by  Ernest  J.  Chambers,  Major,  Corps  of 
Guides,  Gentleman  Usher  of  the  Black  Rod,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  F.  C.  C.  Lynch,  Superintendent  of  the  Railway  Lands 
Branch  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior.  Those  of  our 
readers  more  specially  interested  in  this  feature  of  our  subject 
will  find  the  perusal  of  this  pubhcation  extremely  helpful. 
The  first  five  chapters  of  Major  Chambers'  work  deal  with  the 
Keewatin  area  which,  in  1912,  was  taken  out  of  the  North- 
West  Territories  and  divided  between  Manitoba  and  Ontario. 
Starting  with  an  opinion  that  the  term  "  Fertile  Belt,"  de- 
scribed in  the  agreement  of  1867  between  the  Dominion  of 
Canada  and  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  as  being  bounded 
"  on  the  South  by  the  United  States  boundary;  on  the  West 
by  Rocky  Mountains;  on  the  North  by  the  northern  branch 
of  the  Saskatchewan;  on  the  East  by  Lake  Winnipeg,  Lake 
of  the  Woods,  and  the  waters  connecting  them,"  is  only  a 
"  catchy  expression  "  which  creates  the  impression  that  the 
territory  beyond  the  Saskatchewan  River  is  nothing  more  than 
a  desert,  the  author  shows,  by  references  to  the  reports  of 
explorers,  that  Northern  Canada  is  still  a  Terra  Incognita, 
containing  in  fact  valuable  resources  of  all  sorts.  He  points 
out  that  the  study  of  the  early  explorations,  official  and 
unofficial,  of  the  men  about  whom  we  have  ourselves  written 
in  the  first  part  of  this  book,  and  the  parliamentary  investiga- 
tions, British  and  Canadian,  from  1749  to  our  days,  show  that 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  was  the  main  factor  responsible 
for  the  ignorance  in  which  the  world  has  so  long  and  so  con- 
stantly been  kept  about  the  great  advantages  offered  by 


244  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Northern  Canada.  Early  agricultural  experiments  and  their 
successes,  disclosed  by  the  evidence  given  before  the  Parlia- 
mentary Committee  of  1749,  are  carefully  dealt  with.  Many 
areas  fit  for  agriculture  are  described,  wild  fruits  are  shown  to 
grow  in  profusion,  successful  gardens  are  mentioned.  In 
what  is  called  the  clay  belt,  it  is  shown  that  much  country 
capable  of  improvements  by  drainage  and  many  natural 
hay  meadows  exist,  favoured  with  a  climate  much  warmer 
than  further  east.  Considerable  areas  of  good  timber  are 
spoken  of ;  the  range  of  the  most  important  trees  is  given  and 
special  reference  is  made  to  the  banksian  pine,  the  marketable 
value  of  which  is  well  known.  Forests  of  trees  in  many 
places  that  would  make  good  logs  and  much  pulp  wood, 
occasional  beautiful  forests  of  aspen  poplar  and  magnificent 
coniferous  species  north-west  of  Lake  Winnipeg  are  described. 
It  is  shown  how,  unfortunately,  much  destruction  is  wrought 
by  forest  fires,  which,  however,  offer  the  advantage  of  an 
ample  supply  of  timber  for  fuel.  Water  power  on  the  Nelson 
is  briefly  dealt  with.  Coming  to  the  subject  of  economic 
minerals.  Major  Chambers  shows  how  the  rocks  in  many  cases 
are  highly  magnetic,  and  that  norite  rock  similar  to  that  at 
Sudbury  is  found  about  Trout  Lake.  He  deals  with  the  peat 
north  of  Lake  Winnipeg,  and  speaks  of  the  "  large  possibih- 
ties "  in  existence  in  the  extensive  district  underlaid  by 
Keewatin  and  Huronian  rocks.  Gypsum,  building  granites, 
quartz  veins  on  the  Grassy  River  below  Reed  Lake,  possi- 
bilities of  nickel  occurrences,  are  among  the  minerals  also 
touched  upon.  As  to  the  game,  fur-bearing  animals  and  fish, 
the  author  shows  flocks  of  wild  fowl  obscuring  the  sky, 
describes  six  species  of  seal  in  Hudson  Bay,  presents  the 
country  stocked  with  a  multitude  of  animals  of  various  kinds, 
and  depicts  white  fish  of  all  description  abounding  in  the 
myriads  of  lakes  and  rivers.  The  commercial  value  of  the 
sturgeon  fisheries  is  particularly  treated.  In  fine,  thanks  to 
its  highly  picturesque  scenery  and  hunting  and  fishing  and 
other  sporting  opportunities.  Northern  Canada  is  said  to  be 
destined  to  become  in  the  near  future  the  playground  of  the 
Dominion. 


APPENDIX  I  245 

Even  the  "  Barren  Lands,"  of  which,  however,  there  is 
only  a  small  portion  within  the  limits  of  New  Manitoba, 
are,  in  the  opinion  of  Major  Chambers,  a  comparatively  fertile 
country.  The  explorers  have  declared  the  term  a  misnomer. 
Some  notes  are  given  about  the  chief  rivers  and  lakes  of  the 
immense  region  known  by  that  name.  The  Thelon  River 
offers  an  inland  waterway  for  steamers  via  Chesterfield  Inlet, 
a  distance  of  five  hundred  and  fifty  miles  into  the  interior. 
The  country  is  similar  to  the  tundra  of  Siberia,  with  the 
seasons  progressing  unevenly  but  rapidly.  In  the  natural 
prairies  of  the  Thelon  valley,  a  limited  amount  of  agriculture 
may  be  possible  in  places.  There  are  phenomenal  extensions 
of  tree  growth  within  the  "  Arctic  Prairie  "  along  the  valley 
of  the  Thelon  River,  about  the  east  end  of  Great  Slave  Lake 
and  between  Great  Bear  Lake  and  the  Coppermine  River; 
black  spruce,  larch,  white  spruce,  banksian  pine  and  birch 
are  found  in  abundance.  Deposits  of  native  copper  are  found 
in  the  "  Barren  Lands  "  region,  where  a  vast  probable  minerals 
bearing  country  in  the  interior  can  be  reached  via  Chesterfield 
Inlet  and  the  Thelon  River,  Iron,  gold,  silver,  lignite  and 
soft  coal  are  known  to  exist.  Millions  of  caribou  roam 
at  large,  taking  fourteen  days  to  pass  at  a  given  point,  in 
such  a  mass  that  in  the  words  of  an  eye-witness  in  1877 
"  daylight  could  not  be  seen  through  the  column."  The 
actual  value  of  these  immense  herds  should  be  very  great, 
whether  they  be  domesticated  or  replaced  by  the  Lapland 
reindeer.  The  "  Arctic  Prairie  "  is  also  the  home  of  the  musk- 
ox  and  of  innumerable  other  fur-bearing  animals,  including  the 
polar  bear;  there  the  wild  geese  nest.  Lakes,  rivers  and  sea 
coasts  are  teeming  with  fish,  among  which  are  found  the 
arctic  salmon,  the  trout,  several  kinds  of  white  fish  and  gray- 
ling. Can  the  "  Barren  Lands  "  be  inhabited  by  the  white? 
asks  the  author,  and  he  mentions  Yakutsk,  a  town  of  about 
five  thousand  people  in  Siberia,  which  has  a  mean  winter  tem- 
perature of  —40.4°  Fahr.,  and  many  other  places  in  Northern 
Asia  where  a  still  lower  mean  temperature  is  common,  one 
place  having  a  mean  winter  temperature  of  —50.2°  Fahr. 
At  Fort  Churchill  the  mean  winter  temperature  is   —20.5'' 


246  THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 

Fahr.,  and  it  is  not  likely  that  any  part  of  the    "  Arctic 
Prairie  "  has  a  mean  winter  temperature  of  30°  Fahr. 

The  lure  of  the  "  Barren  Lands  "  is  superbly  described  in 
the  words  of  Warburton  Pike,  the  author  of  The  Barren 
Lands  of  Northern  Canada  :  "To  the  man  who  is  not  a 
lover  of  nature  in  all  her  moods  the  Barren  Grounds  must 
always  be  a  howling,  desolate  wilderness,  but  for  my  part,  I 
can  understand  the  feeling  that  prompted  Salatha's  answer  to 
the  worthy  priest,  who  was  explaining  to  him  the  beauties 
of  Heaven.  'My  father,  you  have  spoken  well;  you  have 
told  me  that  heaven  is  very  beautiful ;  tell  me  one  thing  more. 
Is  it  more  beautiful  than  the  country  of  the  musk-ox  in 
summer,  when  sometimes  the  mist  blows  over  the  lakes,  and 
sometimes  the  water  is  blue,  and  the  loons  cry  very  often? 
That  is  beautiful,  and  if  Heaven  is  still  more  beautiful,  my 
heart  will  be  glad,  and  I  shall  be  content  to  rest  there  till  I 
am  very  old.'  "  ^ 

1  The  matter  of  this  Appendix,  for  the  most  part,  is  merely  a  somewhat 
arranged  reproduction  of  Chapters  I.-V.  and  XIX. -XXII.  of  Major 
Chambers'  book. 


101 


30 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  247 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

The  following  is  a  partial  list  of  the  books  that  I  have  con- 
sulted on  the  subject  of  the  Hudson  Bay  route.  To  this 
should  be  added  the  many  newspapers,  magazines  and  re- 
views which  I  have  also  read. 

History  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  Western  Canada,  by  the  Rev.  A.  G. 

Morice,  O.M.I.,  2  vols.     Toronto,  1910. 
The  Makers  of  Canada,  Morang  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  1 1  vols.     Toronto,  1910. 
Altitudes   in   the   Dominion   of  Canada,    by    James   White,    F.R.G.S. 

Ottawa,  1 90 1. 
Water-Powers  of  Canada,  by  Leo  G.  Denis,  B.Sc,  C.E.,  and  Arthur  V. 

White,  C.E.     Ottawa,  191 1. 
Report  of  the  Third  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Commission  of  Conservation 

held  at  Ottawa,  January  16,  191 2.     Montreal. 
Cruise  of  the  "  Arctic,"  by  Captain  J.  E.  Bernier.     Ottawa,  1910. 
Dictionnaire  Historique  des  Canadiens  et  des  Metis  Fraufais  de  I'Ouest, 

par  le  R.P.  A.  G.  Morice,  O.M.I.     Quebec,  1912. 
The  Honour  of  the  Big  Snows,  by  James  Oliver  Curwood.     Toronto,  191 1. 
Flower  of  the  North,  by  James  Oliver  Curwood.     New  York,  1912. 
The  Romance  of  Commerce,  by  J.  Macdonald  Oxley.     Toronto. 
Western  Canada,  by  Rev.  L.  Norman  Tucker.     Toronto,  1907- 
The  Rainbow  in  the  North,  by  S.  Tucker.     London,  185 1. 
The  Search  for  the  Western  Sea,  by  Lawrence  J.  Burpee.     Toronto,  1908. 
The  New  North-West,  The  Senate  Report  of  1907.     Ottawa,  19 10. 
The  Hudson  Bay  Route,  by  J.  A.  J.  M'Kenna.     Ottawa,  1908. 
Handbooks  of  Indians  of  Canada.     Ottawa,  1913. 
Evidence  of  Mr.  R.  E.  Young,  D.L.S.     Ottawa,  1910. 
Canada's  Fertile  Northland.     Ottawa,  1910. 
Summary  Reports  on  the  Operations  of  the  Geological  Surveys  for  1896, 

1897,  1898  and  1899.     Ottawa,  1897,  1898,  1899  and  1900. 
The  Pas,  The  Gateway  to  Hudson  Bay.     The  Pas,  19 14. 
Reports  on  the  North-eastern  Portion  of  the  District  of  Saskatchewan,  by 

J.   Burr  Tyrrell,  M.A.,   B.Sc,  and  D.   B.   Dowling,   B.A.,   B.Sc. 

Ottawa,  1902. 
Chevalier  de  la  Come  and  the  Carrot  River  Valley  of  the  Saskatchewan, 

by  Arthur  S.  Bennett.     Melfort,  191 3. 
Indian  Affairs  Blue  Book,  1912. 
The  Company  of  Adventurers,  by  Isaac  Cowie. 
Quarterly  Review,  18 16. 
Red  River  Settlement  Papers,  18 19-1858. 
The  Canadian  Annual  Review,  by  J.  Castell  Hopkins,  years  1903-13. 

1 1  vols.     Toronto. 
Report  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Railway  Surveys.     Ottawa,  1909. 
Hudson  Bay  and  Straits,  by  Dr.  R.  Bell,  F.R.G.S.     Ottawa,  1885. 

247 


248 


THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


First  Pastoral  Visit  to  the  Indian  Missions,  by  Mgr.  O.  CharleboU,  O.M.I. 

Winnipeg,  191 2. 
Panama  Canal,  booklet  published  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  1914. 
Notes  Historiques  sur  la  Vie  de  P.  E.  Radisson,  par  L.  A.  Prudhomme. 

Saint  Boniface,  1892. 
The  Life  of  Lord  Strathcona,  by  W.  P.  Richmond.     London,  1914. 
Epitome  de  la  Biblioteca  Oriental  y  Occidental,  Nautica  y  Geographica. 

Madrid,  1629. 
Hudson's  Bay  Papers,  Select  Committee.     I^ndon,  1857. 
The  Canadian   North-West,   its  History  and  its   Troubles,   in  the  Great 

Events  by  Famous  Historians.    The  National  Alumni.     New  York, 

1905,  vol.  xix. 
Histoire  des  Canadiens-Franfais,  par  Benjamin  Suite,  8  vols.    Montreal, 

1882-84. 
History  of  the  Pacific  States  of  North  America,  by  H.  H.  Bancroft,  21 

vols.     San  Francisco,  1882-90. 
Royal  Society  of  Canada,  Transactions.     Montreal  and  Ottawa,  1883. 
Eleventh  Report  of  the  Geographical  Board  of  Canada.     Ottawa,  191 2. 
Hakluytus  Posthumus,  or  Purchas,  His  Pilgrims,  by  Samuel  Purchas, 

20  vols.     Glasgow,  1905-6. 
Henry  Hudson  the  Navigator,  by  George  M.  Asher.     London,  i860. 
Hudson's  Bay  Company's  Papers,  1754.     Report  of  Committee,  1749. 
Relation  du  detroit  et  de  la  Baye  d'Hudson,  par  Jeremie. 
Account  of  Six  Years'  Residence  in  Hudson's  Bay,  17^3-^6  and  1744-47, 

by  Joseph  Robson.     London,  1752. 
Voyage  for  the  Discovery  of  a  North-West  Passage,  etc.,  1746-47,  by  Henry 

Ellis,  2  vols.     London,  1748. 
An  Account  of  the  Countries  adjoining  Hudson's  Bay,  etc.,  by  Arthur 

Dobbs.     London,   1744. 
Remarkable  History  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  by  Rev.  George 

Bryce.     Toronto,   1910. 
Exploratory  Survey  to  Hudson's  Bay,  by  Otto  Klotz.     Ottawa,  1884. 
Notes  of  a  Twenty-Five   Years'  Service  in  the  Hudson's  Bay  Territory, 

by  John  M'Lean,  2  vols.     London,  1849. 
The  Life  of  Sir  William  E.  Logan,  by  B.  J.  Harrington.     Montreal,  1883. 
Journey  from  Prince  of  Wales  Fort  in  Hudson's  Bay  to  the  Northern 

Ocean,  etc.,  1769-72,  by  Samuel  Hearnc.     London,  1795. 
Narrative  of  a  Journey  to  the  Shores  of  the  Polar  Sea,  1819-22,  by  Sir 

John  Franklin.     London,  1823. 
Narrative  of  a  Second  Expedition  to  the  Shores  of  the  Polar  Sea,  1825-27. 

by  Sir  John  Franklin.     London,   1828. 
Journal  of  the  Arctic  Land  Expedition,  etc.,   1833-4-5,  by  Sir  George 

Back.     London,  1836. 
Narrative  of  a  Journey  to  the  Shores  of  the  Arctic  Ocean  in  1833-4-5  tinder 

the  Command  of  Captain  Back,  R.N.,  by  Richard  King.     London, 

1836. 
Narrative  of  an  Expedition  to  the  Shores  of  the  Arctic  Sea,  1846-47,  by 

John  Rae.     London,  1850. 
Arctic  Searching  Expedition,  by  Sir  John  Richardson.     New  York,  1852. 
Across  the  Sub-Arctics  of  Canada,  by  J.  W.  Tyrrell.     Toronto,  1908. 
Dicouvertis  et  Etablisscmcnts  des  Franfais  dans  I'Ouest,  etc.,    1614-98, 

par  Pierre  Margry,  6  vols.     Paris,   1879-88. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  249 

Pathfinders  of  the  West,  by  Agnes  C.  Laut.     New  York,  191 1. 

En  Route  pour  la  Mer  Glaciate,  par  E.  Petitot. 

Les  Bourgeois  de  la  Campagnie  du  Nord-Ouest,  etc.,  par  L.  R.  Masson, 

2  vols.     Quebec,  1889-90. 
History  of  the  North-West,  by  Alexander  Begg,  3  vols.     Toronto,  1895. 
The  North-West  Territory,  by  H.  Y.  Hind.     Toronto,  1859. 
Travels  and  Adventures  in  Canada  and  the  Indian  Territories  between 

the  Years  1760  and  1776,  by  Alexander  Henry.     Edited  by  James 

Bain.     Toronto,  1901. 
John  Harden,  Missionary  Bishop,  by  A.  R.  Buckland,  M.A.     Toronto. 
Life  and  Times  of  Lord  Strathcona,  by  W.  T.  R.  Preston.     Toronto. 
Histoire   de   I' Quest   Canadien   de    1822  d  1869,  par  I'Abbe  G.  Dugas. 

Montreal,  IQ06. 
Six    Years   in   Canadian    North-West,  by    Jean   d'Artigue.      Toronto, 

1882. 
The  Great  Lone  Land,  by  Sir  W.  F.  Butler.     London,  1872,  etc.  etc. 


INDEX 


Abraham,  Plains  of,  6 
Adams,  Captain,  63 
Adams,  G.  Mercer,  221  n. 
Adventurers  of  England  Trading 

into    Hudson's    Bay,    Governor 

and  Company  of,  6,  7,  9 
Agassiz,  Lake,  120,  123 
Akpatock,  223 
Alaska,  in,  113 
Albany,  7 
Albany,  Fort,  177 
Albemarle,  Duke  of,  6 
Alberta,  22,  44,  y2,  71,  75,  78,  104, 

114,  140,  148,  154,  155,  156,  166, 

193,  218 
Alberta  Central  Railway,  141 
Alberta,  Peace  River  and  Eastern 

Railway  Company,  127 
Alcazar,  s.s.,  82 
Alert,  S.S.,  54 
Alette,  S.S.,  82 
Alexander,  Fort,  14 
Algonquin,  181 
Alleghani  Mts.,  181 
Alligewi,  181 
America,  27,  141,  196 
Amoretti,  Charles,  i  n. 
Anderson,  Bishop,  207 
Anian,  Strait  of,  i  n. 
Apollo  Belvidere,  181 
Arctic,  S.S.,  49,  53,  58.  59,  60,  81 
Arctic  Islands,  57 
Arctic  Ocean,  26,  a,  34,  42,   iii, 

195 
Arctic  Red  River,  107 
Armstrong,      ex-Chief     Engineer, 

117,  126,  133,  136 
Armstrong,  Hon.  Hugh,  161,  167, 

168 
Armstrong,  John,  jS,  84  and  11., 

85,  86,  87,  90,  91,  93 
Arrow  Lakes,  41 
Arrowsmith,  10  n. 
Arthur,  Port,  114,  176,  209,  211 


Artigue,  Joan  d',  192 

Ashe  Inlet,  53,  56,  57 

Asher,  Dr.  G.  M..  i 

Asia,  245 

Assinae  Poets   (Assiniboines),    10, 

21,  195 
Assiniboin,  182,  186  and  n. 
Assiniboine  Indians,  194 
Assiniboine  River,  16,  28,  39,  87  «., 

150,  199  n. 
Assiniboines,  10,  21,  195 
Assinipouals,  186 
Associated    Boards    of    Trade    of 

Western  Canada,  j^,  147 
Astoria,  41 

Athabasca,  10,  32,  44 
Athabasca,  Lake,  23,  32,  n,  182, 

200 
Athabasca  Pass,  ^j 
Athabasca  River,  39,  41 
Athapapuskow  Lake,  123,  124 
Athapasca,  182 
Athapascans,  184 
Atlantic  Ocean,  9  n.,  50,  5  i,  61,  62, 

68.  70,  100,  106,  114,  115,  116 
Attickasish,  21 
Augustus.  Fort.  40 
Aulneau  de  la  louche,  Father,  15 
Aylesworth,  A.  B.,  72 

Back,  Captain,  199  u. 

Baffin,  William,  3 

Baffin's  Bay,  50,  62,  66 

Baffin's  Land,  51,  56,  61 

Baillic,  Edward,  132 

Bain,  James.  193  »;. 

Baldoon  Settlement,  45 

Ballentyne,  228 

Baltic  Sea.  61,  213 

Bancroft-Wright  party,  134  «. 

Banff,  140 

Baptiste,   Jean,   Pierre  and   1  r.in- 

9ois,  13,  14,  15 
Baqua,  193 


2>I 


2;2 


THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


Barren  Lands,  29 

Barrieau    (or  B^riault).    Fran9oi3, 

33 
Barrows,  162 
Bartlett,  Captain,  89  n. 
Baiscoia  (or  Baskoia),  193,  234 
Basquia  (or  Pasquia),  21,  24,  28, 

193.  194 

Basquia  River,  205 

Basquiau,  208  «. 

Basquiau  River,  195,  197 

Bathurst,  Lord,  46 

Battleford,  23 

Battle  River,  37 

Beacon  Point,  97,  98,  99 

Bear  River,  34 

Beauharnois,  Governor  de,  13,  14, 
18 

Beaver  Lake,  133  n.,  134  n..  206 

Beaver  Lake  Gold  Mining  Com- 
pany, 133  ».,  134  M- 

Beechey  Island,  58 

Beland,  Dr.,  158 

Bell,  Charles  N..  10 

Bell,  John,  206 

Bell,  Dr.  Robert,  53,  68,  87  n.,  103, 
104 

Bella  Coola,  35 

Bellaventure,  s.s.,  82,  102  n. 

Belle  Isle,  61,  64-66,  106,  114, 
21 1 

Belle  Isle  Strait,  56,  82 

Bell  River,  127 

Bennett,  Arthur  S.,  219  n. 

Beolhic,  s.s.,  82 

B6r6nice,  172 

Berens  River,  187 

Bernier,  Captain,  49,  53,  85,  89  n. 

Bcrnier,  Captain  J.  E.,  60  «.,  64 

Besheu,  187 

Big  Lddy,  i<jo 

Big  Island,  50,  56,  57,  223 

Birch  Hill  Range,  87  n. 

Birch  River,  187 

Birmingham,  222 

Birthday  Rapid,  140 

Biscay,  Bay  of,  70 

Blackfeet,  22,  41 

Blacklead,  57 

Black  River,  187 

Black  water  River,  35 

Bladder  Rapid,  140 


Blaeberry  River,  40 

Bloody  Fall,  26 

Blue  Coat  School  (London),  39 

Boas,  Dr.,  131 

Boat  Encampment,  41 

Bonaventure,  s.s.,  69,  82,  loi  n. 

Bonne,  17  m.,  192 

Borden,    Premier,    154,    156,    157, 

165,  166 
Borden,  R.  L.,  78 
Boston,  116,  213 
Boucher,  Marie,  13 
Boucherville,  Port  de,  53 
Bourassa,  Henri,  i  59 
Bourbon,  Fort,   17,   193,   194.  ^n, 

241 
Bourbon,  River  de,  193 
"  Bourgeois  du  Nord-Ouest,"  28 
Bowen,  Thomas,  192 
Boyd,  226,  227 
Boyd,  N.  K.,  227 
Boyer,  32,  34 
Brandon,  178,  215,  216 
Bristol,  4,  108 
British  Columbia,  42,  130,  131,  132, 

149.  150 
Brodie,  208  n. 
Brooke,  Sir  John,  4 
Brooke  Cobham,  4 
Bryce,  Dr.  George,  8  m.,  31  »».,  32  n., 

36  n..  198  M.,  233 
Budd,  Rev.  Henry,  177,  197W.,  206. 

208,  231 
Bunting,  W.  H.,  160  ».,  210  n. 
Burltigh,  S.S.,  49 
Burns,  Robert,  44 
Burnt  wood  River  and  Lake,    121, 

123,  125,  134,  172 
Burpee,  Lawrence  J., 4  «.,  5  m.,  6  «., 

21  n.,  26  n.,  29  ».,  38  n.,  42  >;., 

241 
Burwell,  Port,  53,  57,  58,  59 
Butler,  M.  J.,  78,  84,  85.  91 
Button,  Sir  Thomas,  2-5 
Button  Island,  50,  56,  57,  223 

Cabinet  Range,  40 
Cabot,  John,  i 
Cadotte,  241  n. 
Cahan,  C.  H.,  159 
Calgary,  19,  112,  187,  194 
Calgary  News  Telegram,  112 


INDEX 


253 


Campbell,  Hon.  C.  H.,  154 
Canada,  19,  28,  29,  31,  32,  36,  44, 
45,  60.  72,  75,  100,  loi  n.,  103, 
107,  108,  113,  115,  116,  117,  123, 
128  n.,  137  «■.  139.  143.  148.  155. 
157,  162,  165,  166,  174,  i86,  192, 
194,  198,  201,  202,  204  «.,  214  «., 
215  «.,  217,  219,  228,  229,  234, 

243.  244 
Canada,  London,  England,  116 
Canadian  Annual  Review,  159 
Canadian   City    and    Town    Pro- 
perties Ltd.,  132 
Canadian  Magazine,  117,  151 
Canadian  Northern  Railway,   74, 
78,  79,  80,  89,  104,  105,  1 10,  112, 
141,  142,  208,  215,  231 
Canadian  North-Western  Railway, 

141.  143 
Canadian  North-West  Transporta- 
tion Company,  149 
Canadian  Pacific  Railway,  105, 108, 

112,  141,  142,  147,  148,  176,  215, 

219  and  M. 
Canadian  Topographical  Surveys, 

10 
Canadian  Trade  Review,  72 
Canoe  River,  41 
Canora,  141,  143 
Cape  Breton,  1 1 7 
Carlton  House,  37 
Carridre,  W.,  210  n. 
Carrier  Indians,  35 
Carrot  River,  12,  19,  22,  136,  138, 

144,  186  «.,  188,  205,  209 
Carrot  River  Valley,  87  and  »/.,  194 
Carteret,  Sir  George,  6 
Caisgrain,  J.  P.  B.,  76 
Castell  Hopkins,  52  «.,  83  «.,  146  n., 

147  n.,  159  n. 
Catlin,  16 

Cauchon,  Joseph,  17  n. 
Cearenz,  s.s.,  82 
Cedar  Lake,  12,  17,  44,   123,  140, 

149,  193,  194,  199,  206,  225,  233, 

241 
Challis,  J.  B.,  238  n. 
Chambers,  Major  Ernest  J.,    145, 

243-246 
Charlebois,     Bishop     Ovidc,     157, 

159,  172,  190  «. 
Charles  I.,  4 


Charles  II.,  6,  7 

Charles,  s.s.,  4 

Charles  Fort,  7 

Charles  Island,  i,  57,  66,  224 

Charlottetown,  P.E.I.,  1 10 

Charlton,  O.  W.  W.,  225 

Charlton  Island,  7 

Charly  St.  Cyr.,  6 

Chateau  Bay,  59 

Chatique,  Chief,  194,  241,  242 

Chemawawin,  187 

Chesterfield  Inlet,  53,  245 

Chicago,  III,  213 

Chidley,  Cape,  57,  223 

Chimo  River,  64 

Chippewa,  182,  183,  185,  186,  187 

Chippeway,  180 

Chippewyan,  Fort,  n,  34,  36 

Chippewyan  Indians,  24,  25,  26 

Christ  Church,  2015-208,  231 

Christianised  Indians,  197 

Christian  Science  Monitor,  116 

Christinaux,  Riviere  des,  17 

Christinos,  186 

Churchill.  24,  25,  29,  53,  54,  55,  66, 

70,  90,  94,  114,  169,  173-176,  224 
Churchill,  Cape,  94 
Churchill,  Fort,  4,  27,  29,  39,  57, 

65.  81,  84,  86,  87.  88,  93,  95,  108. 

113,  114,  115,  129,  141,  174,  194, 

209,  245 
Churchill,  Port,  53,  93,  224 
Churchill-Nelson,  167  n. 
Churchill  River,   3,   17,   28,  30  «., 

32,    39,  87-90,   93,  94,   95,    103, 

1 19,  125,  136,  180,  182 
Church  of  England,  189,  205,  206, 

207  n..  231,  233 
Clarence.  Cape,  58 
Clark.  J.,  16,  41,  160  n.,  183 
Clark's  Crossing.  22 
Clearwater   Lake,    138,    144,    188, 

227 
Clowey  Lake,  26 
Coates.  Captain.  51.  63 
Coats  Island.  59.  224 
Cochrane,  Hon.  Frank,  80,  89  n., 

loi  «.,  102  n.,  105,  106,  107,  108, 

1 10.  127,  140 
Cockrill's  Point,  95 
Cogeal  Lake.  27 
Colin,  226,  227 


254 


THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


Colleton.  Sir  Peter,  6 

Colonist,  105 

Columbia  River,  37,  39,  40,  41,  42 

Coma,  Captain,  239 

Confidence,  Fort,  208  n. 

Conservative  Conventions  of  Sas- 
katchewan and  Alberta,  73 

Conservative  Party,  y^,  75,  78,  79, 
80 

Constant,  Antoine,  190,  205,  208, 

233.  235 
Constant,  Joseph,  195,  205 
Cook,  Dr.  F.  A.,  108 
Copper  Indians,  26 
Coppermine  River,  25,  26  and  «., 

27.  29,  33.  43.  245 
Coquart,  Father  du,  16 
Cormorant   Lake,    133,    171,    226, 

227 
Corne,  Captain  de  la,  24,  136 
Corne,  Fort  a  la,  24,  135,  149,  177, 

233 
Corne  St.  Luc,  Captain  Louis  Luc 

de  la,  19,  21,  194 
Cornhill  Magazine,  221 
Coues,  Dr.  E.,  10  n. 
Cowan,  George,  227 
Cranberry  Lake,  119 
Cranberry  portage,  119 
Craven,  Earl  of,  6 
Craven  Branch  (C.N.R.),  142 
Cree  District,  181 
Crees,  12,  180,  181,  182,  185,  186, 

190,  193  «.,  214,  215 
Crittenden  and  Cullity,  133  «. 
Cronstadt,  213 
Cross  Lake,  121,  123,  124,  125,  136, 

149,   152  it.,  187,  225 
Cross  Lake  Rapid,  140,  149 
Cross  River,  124 
Cumberland,  10,  30  n.,  187,  231 
Cumberland,  Fort,  197,  199,  207 
Cumberland  Gulf,  57,  58 
Cumberland  House,  28,  37,  40,  41, 

123,   133  «.,   135,   144,   194.  196. 

198-203,  206,  208,  233,  241 
Cumberland  Lake,  121 
Cumberland -Pas,  208 
Cumberland  Strait,  64 
Curry,  Thomas,  28 
Curwood,  James  Oliver,  no,  130 
Cyrus  Field  Bay,  57 


Dakota,  North,  152 

Dandonneau  du  Sabl6  de  I'lsle  du 

Pas,  Marie  Anne,  233 
Dauphin,  Fort,  17,  85,  162,  233 
Davies,  S.  V.,  210  m. 
Davis,  I 

Davis  Strait,  51,  62,  64,  6^,  85 
Decharge  Falls,  n 
Deering's  Point,  10  n. 
Deer  River,  88 
Degonnor,  I-'ather,  13 
Delaware,  River,  180 
Delorme.  Pierre,  33 
Demi-Charge  Rapids,  225 
Denmark,  4,  173 
Desgroseillers,     Menart     Chouart 

sieur,  6,  7 
Detroit,  32 

Devine,  Thomas,  17  n. 
Devon  Mission,  208,  231 
Diana,  s.s.,  56,  57,  65 
Digges,  66 

Digges'  Island,  51,  53,  56 
Discovery,  s.s.,  2 
Dixon,  Walter,  69 
Dobbs,  Arthur,  11  and  n.,  12,  173, 

233 
Dog-Rib  Indians,  ^^ 
Doherty,  J.  C,  158 
Doucette,  Charles,  33 
Douglas  Harbour,  56,  57 
Dowling,  Donaldson  Bogart,  1 20  n., 

121  «.,  122  «.,  176  and  «.,  209  n. 
Drummond,  Sir  Gordon,  46 
Dubawnt,  27 
Dubawnt  Lake,  25,  27 
Duck  Lake,  187 
Dugas,  Abb6  G.,  199  n. 
Duluth,  72,  III 
Dun,  T.  H.,  225 

Eagle,  S.S.,  7 

Eagle  Hill  Creek,  22 

Eastern  Canada,  42 

Ebb  and  Flow  Rapid,  140 

Echimamish,  12 

Edinburgh,  44 

Edmonds,  VV.  Everard,  151  v. 

Edmonton,  23,  40,  87,  146  and  n., 

147.  151 
Elbow,  The,  22,  148 
Ellesmere,  58 


INDEX 


255 


Ellice,  Edward,  45 

Ellice,  Rt.  Hon.  E.,  197  n. 

Elliot,  H.  H.,  210  «.,  216 

Ellis,  Professor  R.  W.,  76 

d'Embarnos  Falls,  33 

Emma  Island,  56 

England,  8,  19,  28,  194,  196  «.,  206, 

228,  234 
English  River,  ^^ 
Entente  Cordiale,  208 
Erebus,  s.s.,  58,  206 
Erie,  Lake,  61 
Erik,  s.s.,  58 
Erik  Harbour,  59 
Eskimo,  25,  26,  51 
Eskimos,  181 
Etah,  58 
Etoimami,  74 
Etoimami  River,  124 
Europe,  jt,,  85,  106,  111-116,  175, 

208 
European    Magazine    and   London 

Review,  68 
Ey-thinjTi-wuk,  180,  181 

Fafard,  Father  F.  X.,  177 

Fair,  William,  228 

Falconer,  Captain,  63 

Ferguson,  Hon.  D.,  75 

Finger,  H.,  210  «. 

Finger  Lumber  Company,  Ltd., 
137,  144.  212 

Finlay,  James,  28 

Finlay  River,  35 

Fischer,  235 

Fischer,  F.,  160  n.,  188,  189 

Fisher,  Captain  E.  B.,  64 

Fisher  River,  187 

Flamboro  Head,  97-100,  239 

Fleming,  J.,  210  ». 

Flower  of  the  North,  1 10 

Foot  Print  Lake,  121 

Forsyth,  Richardson  and  Com- 
pany, 31 

Fort  Churchill,  see  Churchill,  Fort 

Foster,  Hon.  G.  E.,  75,  76 

Foster,  Mr.,  113 

Fox,  Captain  Luke,  4,  5 

Fox,  Rev.  Mr.,  238 

Fox  Channel,  51,  66,  85 

France,  6-8,  36,  208 

France,  Joseph  La,  232 


France,  La,  173 

Franklin,  Sir  John,  26,  42,  43,  58, 

67,  195,  201,  204  n. 
Fraser,  Rev.  A.,  160  h. 
Eraser,  Simon,  42 
Fraser  River,  35 
Frazer  River,  149 
French  Revolution,  The,  44 
Frobisher,  Benjamin,  44,  241  h. 
Frobisher,  Joseph,  28,  31,  241  ». 
Frobisher,  Thomas,  28,  31,  241  n. 
Frobisher  Bay,  57,  66 
Frobisher's  Point,  202  n. 
Frobisher  Straik  64 
Frog  River,  88,  90 
Fry,  R.  D.,  96 
Fullerton  Harbour,  58,  59,  60 

Gaboury,  Marie  Anne,  46  ». 

Galissoni^re,  Marquis  de  la,  18 

Gard,  Anson  A.,  117 

Garry,  Fort,  150 

Geographical    Board    of    Canada, 

10  n.,  181,  186,  187  n. 
Geographical   Society  of  London, 

233 
George,  Fort,  ^y 
George  River,  64 
Georgetown,  226,  227 
German,  Mr.,  1 14 
Germany.  173 
Geyer,  Governor,  10 
Gibbon,  Captain,  3 
Gillam,  Captain,  6,  7 
Goose  Lake,  123,  172 
Goose  River,  1 19 
Gordon,  Captain,  20 
Gordon,  Commander  A.  R.,  53-55, 

65,  108 
Gordon,  J.  H.,  210  n. 
Gordon  Bay,  223 
Graham,  Andrew,  93  n. 
Graham,  Hon.  George,  79,  80 
Graham  of  Severn,  Andrew,  21,  23 
Grain  Growers'  Guide,  105 
Grande  Mer  de  I'Ouest,  La,  36 
Grand  Forks,  87,  149,  150,  152,  177, 

222  ». 
Grand  Portage.  11,  14 
Grand  Rapids  of  Saskatchewan,  12, 

i7,  81,   129,   135,   140,  144,   147, 

149-152,   167  H.,    172  M.,    187,  225 


I'.e 


THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


Grand  River,  45 

Grand  Trunk  Pacific  Railway,  112, 

142,  215 
Grant,  Cuthbert,  31 
Grass   River,    119,    120,    123,    141, 

238  and  n. 
Grassy  River,  178,  244 
Gray  Strait,  223 
Great  Bear  Lake,  245 
Great  Bear  River,  33 
Great  Britain.  81,  208,  217 
Great  Lakes,  The,  6,  9,  61,  69,  76, 

78,  85,  III,  117,  126,  130,  152, 

209,  211,212     • 
Great  Northern  Railway,  215 
Great  River,  The,  87  n. 
Great  Slave  Lake,  27,  32-34,  42, 

245 
Greenland,  52,  58,  85 
Gregory,  John.  31,  32 
Grey,  Lord,  61 
Grizzly  Bear  Hill,  26 
Grosbois,  Pierre  Bouche  de.  194 
Groseillers.  129 
Gulf  Stream.  68 
Gull  Lake,  152  «. 
Gull  Rapid.  140 

Hackland.  Captain  J.,  68 
Halcrow,  G.,  68,  160  m.,  161  n.,  164. 

178,  210  n. 
Halifax,  54-58,  102  «.,  174 
Hall,  C.  F..  66 

Hanbury.  David  T..  26  and  n. 
Hansard,  113 
Hare  Indians,  33 
Harmon,  183 

Haultain,  Hon.  F.  W.  G.,  73,  104 
Haven,  Cape,  57 
Hawes,  Captain.  64-66 
Hayden.  182,  184.  185 
Hayes,  12 
Hayes  River,  21,  53,  96,  97,   173, 

186 
Hazen,  H.  F.,  81,  102  «..  no 
Hearne,  Samuel,  8,  25-30,  33,  194 
Hendry,  Anthony,  21-24,  '93 
Henrietta  Maria.  Cape.  4.  5 
Henry.  Alexander,  16,  17,  28,  32, 

36-38,    41,    148,    183,    186,    193 

and  n.,  194  and  n.,  241  and  n., 

242  n. 


Henry,     Alexander,     the     Elder, 

222  M. 
Herb  Lake,  1 34  n. 
Herchmer,  Mr.  F.  K.,  30  n. 
Herschel,  Cape,  58 
High  Rivcr-Saskatchewan-Hudson 

Bay  Railway,  141 
Hillview,  178 
Hind,   Henry  Youle,  87,   148-150, 

177  and  n.,  183,  205  and  n. 
Hines,  Rev.  John,  208 
Historical  and  Scientific  Society  of 

Manitoba  and  British  Columbia, 

Hogan,  J.  F.,  210  n. 

Holland,  173,  213 

Hopes  Advance,  Cape,  223 

Horn,  Cape,  1 12 

Horn  Mts.,  33 

Howse,  Mr.,  40 

Howse  Pass,  37,  40,  41 

Hudson,  Henry,  1-3,  5 

Hudson  Bay,  1-3,  5.  6.  8,  10-12, 
17  «.,  20,  21,  27,  31.  43,  49- 
87,  89  M.,  97,  98,  100,  102- 
104,  106,  107,  109-117,  119,  122, 
128,  130,  131,  136,  137  n.,  141, 
151,  152  and  «..  154.  166,  170, 
'^IZ'  176.  182,  186,  187,  190,  195, 
196  n.,  199,  209,  224,  232,  233, 
240,  244 

Hudson's  Bay  Company,  5,  6,  8,  9 
and  «.,  II,  19-49,  62-70,  86,  94, 
96,  103,  127-129,  136,  143,  147- 
149,  154,  180,  183,  194-196,  203- 
209,  214  n.,  221,  228-231,  243 

Hudson  Bay  Construction  Com- 
pany, 138,  144,  226,  227 

Hudson's  Bay  Herald,  160,  225, 
226,  231 

Hudson  Bay  Junction,  74,  80,  89, 
141-143 

Hudson  Bay  Navigation  Associa- 
tion, 152 

Hudson  Bay  Navigation  Company, 
64 

Hudson  Bay,  Peace  River  alld 
Pacific  Railway  Company,  84  «. 

Hudson  Bay  Railway,  The,  1 1,  70- 
84,  87,  89,  100,  loi  «.,  103-118, 
126-133,  134  «.,  136-138,  147, 
151,    152,    163,    165,    180,    186, 


INDEX 


257 


192,    198   n.,   209-219,   226,   230, 

232,  237-239 
Hudson  Bay  Territory,  45 
Hudson  House,  37 
Hudson  Strait,   i,  6,  7,  50-70,  73, 

103,  106,  107,  109,  114,  213,  223 
Hughes,  Colonel  John,  159 
Hull,  4 

Humboldt,  142 
Hunter,  Rev.  J.,  205-207 
Hunter,  R.  H.,  10 
Hurdy,  G.  C,  112 
Huron,  244 
Huron,  Lake,  11,  61,  180,  232 

Iberville,  D',  8 

Iceland,  3 

Indian  Lake,  125 

Indian    River    of    the    Strangers 

(now  Churchill),  3 
Indian  Territories,  17 
Inglis,  John,  45 
In-nin-yu-wuk,  180,  181 
Isaac  Toad,  s.s.,  37 
Isham    of    York    Fort,    Governor 

James,  21 

Jackson,  Inspector,  235 
Jackson.  S.  J.,  189 
Jackson,  W.  E.,  49 
Jacobs,  Peter,  187,  188 
Jacobsen,  J.  P.,  210  n. 
James,  Captain  Thomas,  4,  5 
James  Bay,  2,  5,74,  iio,  115,  126, 

127,  177,  182 
Japan,  Emperor  of,  4 
Jaunay,  Father  du,  16 
Jefferson,  226,  227 
Jeflerys,  Thomas,  192 
Jeffrey,  17  m. 
Jemmeraye,  Christophe  Dufrost  de 

la.  13-15 
Jesuits,  182,  185,  186 
Johnson,  H.  S.,  160  «.,  161  n. 
Jonqui^re,  Fort  la,  18,  19,  194 

Kaministiquia.  14 
Kasba  Lake,  26 
Kazan  River,  25,  26,  27 
Keewatin,  64,   123,   154,   157,   159, 

172,  176,  177,  190  n.,  243,  244 
Kekerton  Islands,  57 


Kelsey,  Henry,   10-12,  232 

Kenistenoag.  181,  183 

Kennedy,  Captain,  64 

Kerkton,  57 

Kerr,  K.,  160  n. 

Kettle  Rapids,  loi  n.,  140,  238 

King,  Dr.  Richard,  195,  196,  199- 

202,  204  and  n.,  205 
King's  County,  113 
Kingston,  159,  161 
Klistenaux,  186 
Klotz,  Otto,  209  n. 
Knistenaux,  181,  182 
Knowles,  \V.  E*,  75,  76 
Kootenay,  ly,  40 
Kootenay  Falls,  40 
Kootenay,  Fort,  40 
Kootenay  House,  41 
Kootenay  Lake,  40 
Kootenay  River,  39-41 
Kullyspell  House,  40 
Kum  Lake,  26 
Kusko  River,  226 

Labouch^re,    Right    Hon.    Henry, 

196,  228,  229 
Labrador,  i  «.,  3,  50,  51,  56,  57,  61, 

62,  65,  66,  85,  113 
Lacombe,  182 
Ladoga,  Lake,  213 
La  France,  Joseph,  1 1 
Lagimodiere,  Jean  Baptiste,  46 
Lamarche  of  Nicolet,  P.  E.,  157 
Lamb,  T.  H.  P.,  160  ». 
Lancaster  Sound,  58,  206 
Landry,  Joseph,  a 
Langevin,  Bishop,  14 
La  Perouse,  8 
Laperriere,  53 
Lapland,  245 
La  Reine,  Fort,  16,  17 
Large  Pike  Lake,  27 
Larose,  Dr.  A.,  160  >;. 
Laurcntides,  127 
Laurier,  Cape  Sir  Wilfrid,  59 
Lauricr,  Sir  Wilfrid,  74-78,  80,  103, 

108,  146,  152,  154,  156,  158 
Laurier  Cabinet,  The,  ji 
Laut,  Agnes  C,  3  m.,  4  «.,  6  n.,  10 

n.,  II  and  n.,  22  n.,  23  n.,  24  n., 

27  «.,  50  and  n.,  52  n.,  71  n. 
Lavdrendrye,  Chevalier  de,  192 
R 


2;8 


THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


Laverendrye,    Francois,   232,   233, 

234 
Laverendrye,  Louis.  17 
Laverendrye,  Louis  Joseph  de,  15 
Laverendrye,   Pierre,    16,   17,   232- 

234 
Lavtrendrye,    Pierre    Gaultier   de 

Varennes,  Sieur  de  la  V^rendrye, 

or,  13-21,  232 
Laverendrye,  Rene  Gaultier,  Che- 
valier de  Varennes  de,  13 
Laverendryes,  The,   13-20.  28.  43, 

45,  147,  194,  214 
Lavergne,  Armancf,  i  59 
Lefevre,  Father,  107 
Lefroy,    Lieutenant-Colonel    John 

Henry,  195,  196,  204  and  n.,  208 
Legras,  Sieur,  i  5 
Leitch,  T.  S.,  210  n. 
Leith,  James,  198  and  >».,  201 
Lemieux,  Hon.  R.,  157 
Leopold  Island,  58 
Leroux,  32 
Lethbridge,  141 

Lewis,  Captain  Meriwether,  16,  41 
Lewiston,  226,  227 
Liberal  and  Provincial   Rights  of 

Saskatchewan  and  Alberta,  73, 

74 
Liberal  Party,  73-75,  78-81 
Limestone,  226 
Limestone  Portage,  144 
Limestone  Rapid,  140 
Little  Deer,  21 

Liverpool,  72,  85,  1 1 1,  1 13-1 16,  21 1 
Livonia,  173 
Lofthouse,  Bishop,  64 
Long  Spruce  Rapid,  140 
Long  Trail,  The,  2,  3 
Longueil,  42 
Louis  XV.,  13 
Louisiana,  192 
Louisiana  bargain.  The,  19 
"  Louis  Primo,"  194 
Low,  A.  P.,  52  and  n..  57,  72,  85  n., 

223 
Lynch,  F.  C.  C,  243 

M'Arthur,  J.  D.,  80,  81 
M'Connell.  R.  C,  34 
M'Cuaig.  S.,  226 
Macdonald,  Sir  John,  72 
Macdonell,  Captain  Miles,  46 


M'Dougall,  Dr.  John,  172,  187 
M'Ciillivary,  William,  31,  32 
M'Grath,  P.  T.,  72.  no 
MTnnes,  William,    175,    177,    178. 

198  n. 
Mackay,  206,  208  and  n. 
M'Kenna,    J.     A.,    62-65,    ^7    "•. 

69  M.,  85  n.,  138  n.,  171  n.,  174  w.. 

177,  178  H.,  223  «.,  23s 
Mackenzie,   Alexander,   31-37,  44- 

46,  182-185 
Mackenzie,  Roderick,  31-33 
Mackenzie,  Captain  Thomas,  64 
Mackenzie,  Sir  William,  105 
Mackenzie  Valley,  113 
Mackenzie  River,  31,  33,  34,   182, 

229 
M'Laggan,  J.  W.,  171 
M'Laren,  226,  227 
M'Laren,  James,  208  n. 
M'Lean,  John,  204,  205  11.,  233 
M'Lellan,  Archibald,  214  ». 
M'Leod,  Alexander,  31,  32 
M'Millan,  226 
M'Millan  Brothers,  227 
M'Murray,  Fort,  107 
M'Naughton,  226,  227 
Macoun,  Professor,  174 
M'Tavish,  234 
M'Tavish,  Donald,  37 
M'Tavish,  Simon,  31,  32 
Malcolm,  226,  227 
Maldonado,  Laurent  Ferrer,   i  m.. 

49 
Malplaquet,  Battle  of,  13 
Mandans,  Land  of  the,  16,  17 
Manitoba,  43,  44,  75-81,  114,  119, 
122,   129,   133,   134  w.,   137.   139. 
140,   142,   145   n.,   147,   1 54-161, 
163-169,  171,  172,  181,  186  and 
n.,  187,  189,  216,  218,  230,  231, 

243 
Manitoba,  Lake,  17,  36,  150,  233 
Manitoba  Free  Press,  108,  208  «., 

230 
Manitou,  239 

Manitou  Rapids,  89,  125,  152  tt. 
Manitowpah,  187 
Mann.  Sir  Donald,  105 
Mansfield  Island,  56,  58,  224 
Marble  Island,  4,  53,  87 
Margry,  Pierre,  14,  193,  215  m. 
Martin,  Abraham,  6 


INDEX 


259 


Martin,  Humphrey,  8 

Maryfield  Branch  (C.N.R.),  142 

Maskegon,  182,  185-187 

Masquikoukiaks,  186 

Matheson,  Mr.,  228 

Matonabbee,  Chief,  25,  26 

Maurepas,  Fort,  14,  15 

Maximilian,  Prince  of  Wied,  16 

Meaux,  6 

Medicine  Hat,  87,  147 

"  Mediterranean    of    the    North," 

The,  61 
Mediterranean  Sea,  61 
Melfort,  141,  142,  212 
Melfort-Pas  Railway,  142 
Merry,  Cape,  93 
Mesaiger,  Father,  13-15 
Metal  River,  25 
Meteorological  Service  of  Canada, 

174.  178 
Metis,  234 

Meuron.  Pointe  de,  47 
Meurons'  Regiment,  De,  47 
Mexico,  215  n. 

Michilimakinac,  11,  15,  28,  232 
Middleton,  Captain,  173 
Mikikoueks,  186 
Milan,  i  «. 
Milton,  Hersey  &  Company,  Ltd., 

133  »'• 
Minneapolis  Daily  News,  208  n. 
Minneapolis  Tribune,  115 
Minnedosa,  178 
Minnesota,  14 
Minto,  S.S.,  81 
Mission  Island,  207  n.,  208,  232, 

234 
Mississippi  River,  39,  no,  149 
Missouri,  149 

Missouri  River,  11,  16,  31,  39 
.Mistake  Bay,  4 
JNIoffat,  226,  227 
Mohawk,  181 
Monck,  General,  6 
Mondou,  A.  A.,  158 
Monetary    Times,     The,    83,     106, 

118 
Monk,  Mr.,  157 
Monmouth,  Cape,  5 
Monsoni,  185,  186 
Montana,  17 
Montreal,  11,  13-18,  21,  28,  31,  36, 

45-47,  70-72,  109,  III,  1 14-116, 


126,  127,  133  ".,  195,  196  «.,  203, 

206,  211,  212,  219 
Montreal  Gazette,  229 
Montreal  Herald,  76,  85 
Moodie,  Major,  58-60 
Moose,  7 

Moose  Factory,  127,  173 
Moose  Lake,  21,  133,  144,  187,  225 
Morice,  Rev.  A.  G.,  7  «.,  233 
Mosher,  E.,  174 
Moulton  Colony,  45 
Mountain  Falls,  33 
Mountain  River,  34 
Moyie  River,  40 
Mulnain,  36 
Munck,  Jens,  2-4 
Munck's  Cove,  31 
Muskuty  Plains,  22 

Nachvack  Bay,  57 
Napoleon  L,  19,  36 
Nares,  Sir  George,  54 
Narrows,  The,  i^^ 
Nathd-wywithinyu,   180 
Nation  River,  35 
Nechaco  River,  35 
Nelson  House,  136,  172 
Nelson,  Port,  3,  4,  5,  7,  10,  11,  43, 
56,  69,  81,  82.  84-86,  89  and  n., 
95-102    ».,    104,    106,    108,    no, 
113,  117,  125,  126,  127.  141,  145, 
152  and  n.,  153  n..  156,  179  «., 
209,  211-213,  218,  219,  232.  217, 
239 
Nelson  Rapids,  141 
Nelson  River,  12,  21,  39,  43,  46,  53, 
55,  63,  87,  88,  90,  91,  96-100,  103, 
119,  121,  122,  124,  125,  134,  136, 
140,  146  M.,  152  and  n.,  176,  181, 
186,  2  38,  239 
Nepigon,  Lake,  13 
Nepoween  Mission,  148,  177 
Neptune,  S.S.,  53,  54,  57,  58,  60 
New  Brunswick,  109 
New  Denmark,  4 
Newfoundland,  1,  66 
New  France,  17  n. 
Ncwland,  Captain,  7 
New  Manitoba.  130,  131,  138,  141, 
143-145,   156,   157,   167    n.,    170. 
180,   188,   192,   198  «.,  217,  245 
Newnham,  Bishop,  189 
New  Ontario,  144 


26o 


THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


New  Wales,  4 

New  York,  2,  70-72,  82,  11 2-1 14, 

123,  206 
New  York  Tribi^ne,  229 
Niagara,  123,  238 
Niagara  Falls,  76,  103 
Nipawi  des  Prairies,  17 
Nipissing,  Lake,  176 
Nipissings,  182 
Niverville,  Joseph  Claude  Boucher 

de,  19,  194 
Nonsuch,  S.S.,  7 
Norquay,  Sir  John,  79,  81 
Norris,  T.  C,  79,  156 
North  America,  8 
North  Amei'ican  Review,  72 
North  Battleford,  142 
North  Bay  Railway  Company,  127 
North  Devon,  58 
North  Pole,  2,  108 
North  Portal,  142 
North  River,  97 
North  Saskatchewan  River,  150 
North  Somerset  Island,  58 
North-West  Company,  The,  9  «., 

28,  31,  32,  36,  38-40.  42,  44,  45, 

48,  194 
North- West  Passage,  2,  5,  9  n.,  25, 

27,  36,  42 
North- West  Provinces,  77 
North-West  Territories,  76, 78,  104, 

148,   169,   177,   188,   190,  204  «., 

243 
North- West  Territories  Act,  157 
Norton,  Moses,  24 
Norway  House,  10,  121,  129,  136, 

152,  180,  187,  188,  206,  207,  228 
Notre  Dame,  Montreal,  18 
Nottaway,  Port,  iio,  126,  127,  212 
Nottingham,  66 
Nottingham  Island,  50,  51,  224 
Nova  Scotia,  56,  85,  109,  119 
Nova  Zembla,  3 
Noyelle,    Captain   Charles   Joseph 

Fleurimont  de,  18 
Nueltin  Lake,  26 

Oak  Point,  15 
Ochagach,  13 
Ochipewa,  180 
Ojibbeway,  180 
"  Old  Francois,"  194 
Oliver,  Hon.  Frank,  j'i 


O'Meara  Co.,  John  F..  82 
Ontario,  74,  jj,  105,  108,  112,  127, 

138,  154,  156,  159,  166,  243 
Ontario,  Lake,  61,  146 
Orange  Factor,  The,  159 
Oregon,  20 
Orok,  Dr.,  141 
Ortelius,  i 
Ottawa,  72,  75,  114,  154,  155,  156, 

161,  164  M.,  225 
Otter  Nation.  The.  186 
Oxford.  188 

Pachegoia,  Lake,  12 

Pacific  Ocean,  i  n.,  9  n..  27,   127, 

195 

Pacific  Railway  Company,  127 

Pack  River,  35 

Panama,  1 1 2 

Panama  Canal,  1 12 

Paris.  6 

Paris.  Treaty  of.  234 

Parker,  226 

Parsnip  River.  35 

Pas,  Le,  10,  12,  17  and  n.,  21.  22. 
24,  28,  37.  69.  74.  78-82,  85-90, 
92  n.,  1 01  n.,  104,  105.  Ill,  1 14. 
119,  120,  125  «..  129,  130.  132- 
138,  141-147.  150-152.  157.  IS9- 

162.  164,  165.  167-170,  172  and 
».,  174-180.  187,  188,  190  and 
«.,  192-197.  199,  204.  205,  207- 
220,  225,  226,  230-235,  237,  238, 
241 

Pas,  Le,  Herald,  164  n. 

Pas    Herald    and    Mining    News, 

134  n. 
Pas  Indians,  189,  205 
Paskoyac  River,  233 
Paskquaw.  193  n. 
Pas  Mts.,  193  n.,  208  n. 
Pasquayah,  186  n.,  241 
Pasquayah  River,  193  and  n. 
Pasquia  Hills,  22,  87 
Pasquia  Lake,  210 
Pasquia  River.  193  and  n.,  210 
Pas  River.  138, 144,  192,  193  and  n., 

195,  205,  208,  212,  225,  233,  234 
Patriot,  The,  1 10 
Pau  (France),  48 
Peace    River,    23,    31-35,    39,    112, 

147.  151 
Peace  River  Company,  127 


INDEX 


261 


Peace  River  Valley,  1 1 3 

Pelham,  Lord,  45 

Pelican,  241 

Pelican  Falls,  ^3 

Pelletier,  Hon.  L.  P.,  157 

Pembina,  ^7 

Pembina  River,  41 

Pend  d'Oreille  Lake,  40 

Pend  d'Oreille  River,  40 

Penrose,  H.  E.,  69 

Pepin,  Lake,  14 

P6rouse,  Admiral  La,  29,  30  and  »i., 

63 
Perrot,  Fran9ois  Marie,  186 
Persian  Gulf,  70 
Peshew  Lake,  26 
Peterborough,  143 
Peterborough,  East,  104 
Peter  the  Great,  70,  213 
Petitot,  Rev.  E.,  233 
Petrograd,  213 
Pezhew,  187 
Piegans  Indians,  41 
Pigeon  Lake,  28 
Pigeon  River,  14,  19 
Pike,  Warburton,  246 
Pine  Island  Lake,  28,  123 
Pipestone  Lake,  124 
Playgreen  Lake,  21,  124 
Pluie,  Lac  la,  14 
Poland,  173 
Polar  River,  187 
Polo,  Marco,  50 
Pond,  Peter,  32,  44,  241  n. 
Ponds  Inlet,  58 
Portage  la  Prairie,  16,  227,  233 
Porter,  J.  W.,  84  n. 
Portland,  41 

Port  Nelson,  see  Nelson,  Port 
Port  Royal,  6 
Portuguese  Voyagers,  i 
Poskaiao,  17 
Poskoia  or  Basquia,  or  Poskoyac, 

Fort  {see  Pas,  Le),  17  and  «.,  19, 

192,  194,  233 
Poskoyak,  River,  194 
Prairie  Provinces,  The,  76,  ;fy 
Prairies,  Fort  de,  222  n. 
Prairies,  Lac  des,  17 
Prefontaine  Harbour,  59 
Preston,  \V.  T.  R.,  128  v. 
Prince  Albert,   37,    135,    136,    141, 

142,  150,  151,  189 


Prince  Albert-Pas  Railway.  142 
Prince  Edward  Island,  45,  109 
Prince  of  Wales,  Cape,  175 
Prince  of  Wales,  Fort,  8,  27,  30»., 

173 
Prince  Regent  Inlet,  58 
Providence,  Fort,  ^j 
Prud'homme,  Judge  L.  A.,  17  it. 
Pugsley,  Hon.  Mr.,  146,  156 

Qu'Appelle  Valley  and  River,  150 
Quarellers,  33 
Quarterly  Review,  9  w. 
Quebec,  6,  15,  59,  99,  112,  115.  126, 
127,  138,  152,  157,   159,  214  «., 

234 
Quesne,  Marquis  du,  19 

Race,  Cape,  1 14 

Radisson,  Pierre  Esprit  de,  2,  6,  7, 

129 
Rainy  Lake,  41,  197,  198,  206 
Rainy  Lake  House,  40 
Rainy  River.  1 1 
Rat  Rivulet,  150 
Red  Deer  River,  22,  23 
Red  Earth,  144 
Red  River,  The,  16,  37,  46  and  n., 

47,  87  and  n.,  146,  150,  152,  181, 

182,  196,  199  «.,  228,  229 
Red  River  Colony,  45 
Red  River  Department,  42 
Red  River  Valley,  45,  122,  136 
Reed  Lake,  123,  244 
Regina,  73.  142 
Regina  Lake,  210 
Reindeer  Islands,  27 
Reine,  Fort  de  la,  233 
Reinhard,  Charles  de,  214  n. 
Resolution  Island,  50,  54,  66,  223 
Review  of  Reviews,  1 10 
Richardson,  Sir  John,  180,  181  h., 

185,   188,   193  n.,  195,   196,   198, 

199,  204  and  «.,  206-208 
Riel,  Louis,  46 
Robinson,  Sir  John,  6 
Roblin,  Premier,  154,  156,  157,  160 

and  n.,  161,  164,  165  n.,  168-170, 

190,  191 
Robson,  Joseph,  10  and  «.,  11,  27, 

29,  130,  136,  173,  233 
"  Rock  by  the  River  Side,"  33 
Rocky  Mountain  House,  ^y.  39-41 


262 


THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


Rocky  Mountains,  17,  27,  33,  35. 
37,  39,  42,  48.  144,  146,  147,  149, 

150,    152,    182,    193  M.,    196,   243 

Roe,  Sir  Thomas,  4 

Roe's  Welcome,  4 

Rogers,  Hon.  Robert,  79.  146  >i. 

Roman   Catholics,    157-159,     189, 

190  and  n.,  207  «.,  233 
Ronge,  Lac  la,  136 
Ross,  Captain  H.  H.,  160  n.,  161  «., 

210  n. 
Ross,  John,  32,  147 
Ross  Bay,  58 
Ross   Navigation   Company,    143, 

212 
Rothschild,  170 
Rouge,  Fort,  16 
Rouille,  17  n. 
Royal  North- West  Mounted  Police, 

58 
Royal  Society,  196 
Rupert,  7 

Rupert,  Prince,  6,  7 
Rupert  Bay,  7 
Rupert's  Land,  7,  8,  32,  44,  45,  129, 

198  ti.,  207,  228,  231 
Rusk,  J.  E.,  160  «.,  210  K. 
Russia,  3,  173,  213 
Ruysch,  I 

Sabine,  Cape,  58 

Sabush  House,  40 

St.  Andrews  Locks,  146 

St.  Boniface,  Historical  Society  of, 

14 
St.  Charles,  Fort,  14,  15 
St.  Clair,  Lake,  45 
St.  George,  23 
St.  John  (N.B.),  109 
St.  John's  (Newfoundland),  53,  54, 

57 
St.  Lawrence,  Gulf  of,  56 
St.  Lawrence,  River,  31,  62,  yy,  99, 

106,  1 16,  149 
St.  Louis,  18,  19 
St.  Mary's  River,  40 
St.  Paul,  72,  149,  150 
St.  Petersburg,  70 
St.  Pierre,  Le  Gardeur  de,  19 
St.  Pierre,  Fort,  14 
Salatha,  246 
Salisbury  Island,  56 
Sam's  Creek,  97,  99,  100 


Sarnia,  21 1 

Saskaram  Lake,  232 

Saskatchewaine,  River,  193,  241. 
See  Saskatchewan,  River 

Saskatchewan,  19,  41,  7.2-75,  79, 
81,  104,  114,  133,  140,  148,  154- 
156,  166,  169,  180,  181,  187,  216, 
218 

Saskatchewan,  River,  10,  12,  17 
and  »».,  19,  21-24,  28,  30  «.,  31, 
33.  37-40,  42.  43.  79.  82,  87  and 
n.,  88,  90,  112,  114,  1 19,  120, 123, 
135,  138,  140,  143,  144,  146-152, 
164,  176,  177,  180-182,  186  »!., 
188,  192-195,  197  and  w.,  198, 
199,  202  n.,  205-210,  222  n.,  225, 
229,  232,  233,  234,  241,  243 

Saskatchewan  Central  Railway, 
142 

Saskatchewan  Pass,  40 

Saskatoon,  126,  141,  142,  211,  212 

Saskatoon  and  Hudson  Bay  Rail- 
way, 141 

Saskeram  Lake,  12,  22 

Saturday  Night,  83 

Saulteaux,  180 

Sault  Ste.  Marie,  180,  211 

Sauteaux,  235 

Sauteurs,  180 

Sauteux,  195 

Savanne,  River,  12 

Scandinavia,  175 

Schwatka,  Lieutenant,  67 

Scotland,  175 

Scott,  226,  227 

Scott,  Hon.  Walter,  44,  73-75,  78 

Scottish  Geographic  Magazine,  103 

Scurvy,  3 

Seal  Island,  98,  99 

Seal  River,  27 

Sea  River  Falls,  124 

Selkirk,  Lady,  46 

Selkirk,  Lord,  9  n. 

Selkirk,  Thomas  Douglas,  Earl  of, 

44-47 
Semmens,  Rev.  John,  172 
Semple,  46,  48 
Senkler,  C.  E.,  210  n. 
Sepewesk  Lake,  140 
Settee,  James,  233 
Setting  Lake,  226,  238 
Seven  Oaks,  42,  47,  48 
Severn,  7 


INDEX 


263 


Severn  River,  186 

Sexsmith,  J.  H.,  104 

Shaw,  Angus,  31 

Sheba,  s.s.,  239,  240 

Shields,  Robert,  192  n. 

Shoal  Lake,  87 

Siberia,  126,  245 

Sidney,  106 

Sikamis  Indians,  35 

Silsby,  Captain,  63 

Simpson,  Sir  George,  48,  195  n. 

Sinclair,  Captain  Colin,  63 

Sinclair,  Dr.  William,  loi  n.,  145  n., 

160  «.,  167,  179,  237 
Sinclair,  Senior,  Dr.  Wm.,  161  n. 
Sindbad,  s.s.,  82 
Sioux,  15,  182 
Sipiwisk  Lake,  119 
Sisksika,  182 
Skymer's  Cove,  53 
Slave  Indians,  33 
Slave  River,  33 
Smith,  Sir  Donald,  219  n. 
Smith,  James,  187 
Smith,  John,  187 
Smith  Sound,  58 
Smoky  River,  34 
Snake  River,  41 
Snowbird  Lake,  26 
Sootoos,  180 

Southampton,  Cape,  55,  59 
Southampton  Island,  57 
South  Sea,  4,  5.  9 
Spanish  Succession,  War  of  the,  1 3 
Spilimichene  River,  40 
Split  Lake,  81,  86,  90,  124,  125  «., 

134,  137  «.,  172,  175,  238 
Spokane  House,  41 
Spokane  River,  41 
Standard,  109 

Standing  Rock  Portage,  239 
Stanley  House,  136 
Starnard,  Captain,  7 
Stony  Mountain,  178 
Stornoway,  32,  46 
Strathcona,  171 
Stuart  Dynasty,  The,  128  n. 
Stupart,  R.  F.,  54,  174,  175 
Stupart's  Bay,  53 
Sturgeon  River,  119 
Sudbury,  244 

Superior,  Lake,  11,  14,  a>  i7t  61, 
77, 119,  149, 150, 17  s,  176, 180, 186 


Sutherland,  Hugh,  J2 
Swampy  Cree  Indians,  188 
Swan  River,  162 
Sweden,  173 
Switzerland,  238 
Sydney  (N.S.),  1 17 
Sydney  Daily  Post,  1 1 7 

Tailhan,  186 

Tanner,  187 

Taylor,  G.  N.,  210  n. 

Tearing  River,  149 

Temiskaming,  127 

Temiskaming  and  North  Ontario 

Railway,  74 
Terror,  s.s.,  58,  206 
Theleaza  River,  27 
Thelon  River,  245 
Thibaudeau,  W.,  85  w.,  114 
Thicket  Portage,  81,  92  «.,  132 
Thompson,  David,  16,  32,  17,  39, 

41,  148 
Thorburn,  William,  31 
Three  Rivers,  6,  13,  194,  195,  235 
Times  (London),  72 
Tinnd,  181 
Toronto,  49,  ^2,  76,  83,  104,  106, 

109,  116,  148,  178,  193  M. 
Toronto  Globe,  74,  83,  228 
Toronto  Observatory,  54 
Toronto  Star,  72 
Toronto  World,  107,  116 
Transcontinental     Railway,    The, 

9".  127 
Tr6maudan.  A.  H.  de,  58,  160  «., 

161  n.,  164,  210  M. 
Trigg,  Rev.  E.,  160  «. 
Trinity  College,  Toronto,  148 
Trout  Lake,  244 
Troyes,  De,  8 
Tucker,  S.,  207  u. 
Tupper,  Sir  Charles,  78 
Tuttle,  Chas.  R.,  210  n. 
Tyrrell,  J.  Burr,  120-122,  209  n. 
Tyrrell,  J.  W..   29,  67  and  n.,  68 

w-  73 

Umfreville,  30  «.,  183,  184 
Ungava,  223 

Ungava  Bay,  50,  51,  56,  57,  59,  223 
Unischauba,  181 

United   States.   45,   82.    iii,    113, 
116,  131,217,23s,  239,  243 


264 


THE  HUDSON  BAY  ROAD 


University  Magazine,  76 
Upper  Canada,  45,  46 
Upper  Columbia  Lake,  40 
Upper  Narrows,  50,  51,  70 

Vancouver,  1 1 2 
Vancouver's  Cascade,  36 
Vassan,  De,  17 
Venice,  214 

Verendrye,  see  Lav^rendrye 
Vermilion,  Fort,  37 
Verwyst,  186 
Victoria  (B.C.),  105 
Victoria  Strait,  42 
Vikings,  2 
\'ladivostock,  126 
Voligny,  L.  R.,  150,  151 

Wager  Bay,  5 

Wakeham,    Commander   William, 

56,  57.  65 
Wales,  New,  see  New  Wales 
Wapuskeowatchi,  193  n.,  208  n. 
Warren,  186 
Washington,  40 
Waugh,  R.  D.,  152 
Wavero,  s.s.,  7 
Webb,  Captain  H.  E.,  64 
Weggs,  Cape,  223,  224 
Wekusko  Lake,  123,  124,  134 
Welland  Country,  The,  77,  114 
West,  181 
Western  Canada,  6,  16,  43,  48,  62, 

67.  72,  73.  75,  76,  82,  107,  no, 

113.   128  «.,   130,   135-138.   194. 

196,  209,  210,  215,  216,  230,  239 
Western  Provinces,  80,  87 
Western  Sea,  34,  35 
Westminster  (England),  39 
Westray,  138 
Weyburn,  85 
Weymouth,  i 
White,  Colonel,  59 
White,  Rex.  G.,  208  n. 
White  Earth  House,  37 
White  Earth  River  Fort,  41 
White  Island,  59 
Whitemud  Falls,  141 
Whitemud  Rapid,  140 


Whittemore,  Phillip,  no 

Wholdaia  Lake,  26 

Widdowson,  E.  W.,  132 

Wildcat  Gens,  187 

Willamette  River,  41 

William,  Fort,  47,  206,  209 

Williams,  Governor,  200-204 

Willis,  J.  L.,  104 

Willway,  H.  H.,  79 

Winnipeg,  12,  16,  46,  72,  73,  75,  78, 
80,  81,  85,  90,  117,  141,  144,  146, 
147,  152,  161,  162,  165,  167,  196 
and  n.,  199  «.,  209,  21 1,  219,  231, 
237.  238 

Winnipeg,  Lake,  10,  12,  17,  37,  81, 
82,87.90,  120,  122-125,  135,  140, 
141,  146,  147,  149,  150,  152  and 
H.,   172,    180,   186,    193  «.,  206, 

243.  244 
Winnipeg  Industrial  Bureau,  30 
Winnipegosis,  Lake,  17 
Winnipeg-Prince  Albert  Line,  141 
Winnipeg  River,  14 
Winnipeg  Telegram,  117,  145,  237 
Wisconsin,  14 

Wollstenholme,  Cape,  53,  223 
Wolstenholme,  Sir  John,  4 
Wood  Crees,  189 
Woods,  Lake  of  the,   11,  14,  150, 

152,  186,  196-198,  206,  243 
Woody  Lake,  226 
Wright-Bancroft  party,  132 

X-Y  Company,  31,  235 

Yakutsk,  245 
Yamaska,  158 
Yellow  Knife  Indians,  33 
York,  23,  30  n.,  70,  94,  188 
York  Factory,  8,  12,  42,  46,  53,  63, 
96,  99,   129,   136,   169,   173,   193, 

231 
York  Fort,  24 
York  Roads,  97 
Yorkton,  142 
Yorkton  Enterprise,  109 
Young,  R.  E.,  174  «.,  175 
Yukon,  1 1 1 
Yukon  River,  34 


teMPte  pr£S5 


LCTCHVORTH 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 

This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


WAR  2 9  1950 

APR  2. 1950 

^Lfci  2     1951 
FEB  16 1951 


tt)-0«L 


Form  L9-42m-8,'49(B5573)444 


THE  T.reRARY 

UNrV'ER:iIi Y  Ol^  CALIFORNIA 

L03  angel::s 


I  \r  c;ni  itmKI*^  M  GinNAI   I  IRRAHY  f  ACIL ITY 


AA    001  077  097    . 


